.  t 


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THE  NOVELS 

OF 

CAPTAIN   MARRYAT 

EDITED    BY 

R.  BRIMLEY    JOHNSON 


This  Edition  of  Captain  Marry af  s  Novels, 

made  exclusively  for  members  of  the 

NEW  YORK  TACUr  CLUB 

is  strictly  limited  to  one  hundred  copies. 


-fc^^c/£5«t^;^'-^"i^. 


Copy  No.  /  O 
PRINTED  FOR 
H.  A.  VAN  LIEfV,  Esq. 


NEW  YORK  YACHT  CLUB  EDITION 


POOR   JACK 


BY 

CAPTAIN  MARRYAT 


NEW  YORK 
CROSCUP  AND    COMPANY 

MDCCCXCVI 


7  'P  ^ 


Contents 


Chapter  i 
Chapter  ii 
Chapter  hi 
Chapter  iv 
Chapter  v 
Chapter  vi 
Chapter  vii 
Chapter  viii 
Chapter  ix 
Chapter  x 
Chapter  xi 
Chapter  xn 
Chapter  xiii 
Chapter  xiv 
Chapter  xv 
Chapter  xvi 
Chapter  xvii 
Chapter  xvni 
Chapter  xix 
Chapter  xx 
Chapter  xxi 


^' 


Chapter  xxn 


PAGE 

I 

6 

II 

15 

19 

23 
36 

41 

5° 

55 

67 

75 
82 
100 
106 
109 
118 
126 

133 

144 
152 
158 


VI 


Contents 


Chapter 

XXIII    . 

Chapter 

XXIV     . 

Chapter 

XXV       . 

Chapter 

XXVI      . 

Chapter 

XXVII    . 

Chapter 

XXVIII  . 

Chapter 

XXIX     . 

Chapter 

XXX        . 

Chapter 

XXXI      . 

Chapter 

XXXII    . 

Chapter 

XXXHI . 

Chapter 

XXXIV  . 

Chapter 

XXXV    . 

Chapter 

XXXVI  . 

Chapter 

XXXVII 

Chapter 

XXXVIII 

Chapter 

XXXIX  . 

Chapter 

XL 

Chapter 

XLI 

Chapter 

XLII       , 

Chapter 

XLIII     . 

Chapter 

XLIV      . 

Chapter 

XLV        . 

Chapter 

XLVI     . 

Chapter 

XLVII     . 

Chapter 

XLVIII  . 

Chapter 

XLIX     . 

Chapter 

L 

Chapter 

LI 

Finale 

List  of  Etchings 


**  Poor  Jack  "    .  .  .  .  .         Frontispiece 

PAGE 

My  mother  rose   up,  holding  it,  with  an  expression  of 

THE  utmost  contempt  .  .  .  '37 

"  Who  gave  you  this  glass  ? "   .  .  .  .        155 

I   HAD  CATjGHT  HOLD  OF  THE  CHILD  .  .  .  184 

Bessy,  with  a  hook  rope  in  her  hand,  darted  towards 

HIM  .  .  .  .  .  .316 

I  met  face  to  face  a  Frenchman  .  .  .382 

Drawn  by  D.  Downing. 
Etched  by  W.   Wright- NooTH. 


Prefatory  Note 


Edgar  Allen  Poe,  no  friendly  critic,  said  that  Poor  Jack 
was,  in  his  opinion,  "  perhaps  the  best  specimen  of  its 
author's  cast  of  thought,  and  national  manner,  although 
inferior  in  interest  to  Peter  Simple.^^ 

It  undoubtedly  has  not,  though  Jack's  short  cruises  are 
sufficiently  eventful,  the  matchless  life  and  vigour  of 
Marryat's  best  sea-novels ;  but  the  genial  picture  of 
Greenwich  Hospital,  with  its  boatswain,  boatswain's  mates, 
and  fiddlers,  is  an  historic  document,  and  gives  the  book 
a  value  of  its  own.  The  charming  but  somewhat  imbecile 
father  of  "  Newton  Forster,"  it  will  be  remembered, 
mended  "  blinkers  "  for  the  old  pensioners,  who  proved 
themselves  his  very  good  friends  ;  and  "  Poor  Jack  "  owes 
most  of  his  advances  in  life  to  the  godly  Peter  Anderson 
and  Ben  the  Whaler. 

In  its  general  scheme  and  character  the  plot  of  Poor  Jack 
recalls  another  story  of  the  river,  Jacob  Faithful.  Jack,  or 
rather  Tom,  though  not  an  orphan,  owes  little  or  nothing 
to  either  of  his  parents,  and  rises  from  the  very  gutter  to  a 
position  of  respectable  affluence.  He  is  lucky,  of  course, 
and  acquires  an  unusual  number  of  influential  friends  ;  but 
he  also  evinces  great  bravery  and  a  most  excellent  heart, 
full  of  sympathy  and  good  nature.  Like  Jacob,  he  turns 
his  back — metaphorically  speaking — on  his  master's  daugh- 
ter and  woos  a  maiden  of  (comparatively)  high  degree. 
She  accepts  him,  but  proves  faithless,  and  he  ultimately 
stoops  to  pick  the  fair  flower  by  his  side. 

Bessy  Bramble,  indeed,  betrays  some  tact  and  moral 
daring  which  were  scarcely  to  have  been  expected  from 
the  adopted  daughter  of  an  able,  but  rough  and  ready, 


X  Prefatory  Note 

channel  pilot.  In  Chapter  xxxvii.  she  conquers  a  really 
embarrassing  situation  with  weapons  of  the  truest  refine- 
ment. And  with  all  her  sympathetic  and  affectionate 
womanliness,  she  is  no  slave  to  the  arrogant  male  : — 

"  Now,  I'll  go  out,  and  see  where  Tom  may  be,"  says 
Bramble.  "  I  suppose  he's  looking  at  the  wind,  and 
thinking  how  it  changes  like  a  woman.  But  I'll  light  my 
pipe  first." 

"  Do,  father,"  was  her  apt  reply,  "  and  while  Tom 
looks  at  the  wind,  and  thinks  of  women,  do  you  just  watch 
the  smoke  out  of  your  pipe,  and  think  of  men,  and  their 
constancy." 

In  actual  construction  Poor  Jack  may  claim  to  take  up  a 
good  position  among  Marryat's  novels.  The  stories  of  the 
pretty  Irish  widow  tobacconist,  the  retired  pirate,  and  the 
old  curiosity  shop-woman  are  linked  with  considerable 
ingenuity ;  and  the  unravelling  thereof,  though  aided  by 
some  slightly  strained  coincidences,  lends  an  appearance 
of  unity  and  sequence  to  the  adventures  of  Tom  Saunders. 
His  own  more  personal  career  is  worked  out  by  the  class 
of  agencies  usually  at  hand  for  worthy  and  penniless 
heroes. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  Marryat  enlivens  his  narrative  by  a 
number  of  amusing  or  thrilling  yarns,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  the  Black  Tom  Cat,  Three  are  doomed,  the 
immortal  Midshipman's  Apology,  and  the  Strange  Fate  of 
Archibald  and  Andrew.  The  Loss  of  the  Roya/  George 
is  also  effectively  told,  as  by  an  eye-witness.  Oddities  are 
not  so  prominent  as  usual,  though  Sir  Hercules,  and  Mrs 
Maddox,  Harness  and  Opposition  Bill  may  serve  to  raise  a 
laugh. 

The  landsman,  perhaps,  will  scarcely  credit  the  childlike 
and  impulsive  spirit  in  which  Bramble,  just  for  the  fun  of 
it,  determines  to  frighten  a  coward  without  counting  the 
cost.  But  Marryat  always  maintained  that  sailors  are 
children  to  the  end,  and  he  drew  them  on  this  hypothesis. 
"What  we  find  it  more  difficult  to  forgive  is  the  practice 
of  eavesdropping  common  to  Tom  and  Jacob   Faithful. 


Prefatory  Note  xi 

It  arises,  of  course,  from  the  mechanical  difficulties  of 
telling  a  story  in  the  first  person  ;  but  gentlemen  do  not 
do  these  things. 

The  original  illustrations  to  Poor  Jack,  by  Clarkson 
Stanfield,  which  hung  in  "  the  long  narrow  dining-room" 
at  Langham,  were  engraved  by  a  Mr  Vizetelly,  who 
"  received  two  applications  from  gentlemen  in  Paris  for 
leave  to  purchase  sets  of  casts  for  translations  of  the  book 
about  to  be  brought  out  in  their  own  country." 

The  novel  is  here  reprinted,  with  a  few  corrections, 
from  the  first  edition,  Longman,  Orme,  Brown,  Green, 
and  Longmans,  1840. 

R.  B.  J. 


Poor   Jack 


chapter  I 

In  which,  like  most  people  who  tell  their  own  stories,  I  begin  with  the 
histories  of  other  people. 

I  HAVE  every  reason  to  believe  that  I  was  born  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  1786,  for  more  than  once  I  put  the  question 
to  my  father,  and  he  invariably  made  the  same  reply : 
*'  Why,  Jack,  you  were  launched  a  few  months  before 
the  Druids  were  turned  over  to  the  Melpomene."  I  have 
since  ascertained  that  this  remarkable  event  occurred  in 
January  1 787.  But  my  father  always  reckoned  in  this 
way  :  if  you  asked  him  v/hen  such  an  .  event  took  place, 
he  would  reply,  so  many  years  or  months  after  such  a 
naval  engagement  or  remarkable  occurrence ;  as,  for 
instance,  when  I  one  day  inquired  how  many  years  he  had 
served  the  king,  he  responded,  '*  I  came  into  the  sarvice 
a  little  afore  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  in  which  we 
licked  the  Americans  clean  out  of  Boston."  *  As  for  Anno 
Domini,  he  had  no  notion  of  it  whatever. 

Who  my  grandfather  was,  I  cannot  inform  the  reader, 
nor  is  it,  perhaps,  of  much  consequence.  My  father  was 
a  man  who  invariably  looked  forward,  and  hated  anything 
like  retrospection  :  he  never  mentioned  either  his  father 
or  his  mother ;  perhaps  he  was  not  personally  acquainted 
with  them.  All  I  could  collect  from  him  at  intervals  was, 
that  he  served  in  a  collier  from  South  Shields,  and  that  a 
few  months  after  his  apprenticeship  was  out,  he  found 

*  I  have  since  heard  a  different  version  of  the  result  of  this  battle. 
P.J.  A 


2  Poor  Jack 

himself  one  fine  morning  on  board  of  a  man-of-war,  having 
been  picked  up  in  a  state  of  unconsciousness,  and  hoisted 
up  the  side  without  his  knowledge  or  consent.  Some 
people  may  infer  from  this,  that  he  was  at  the  time  tipsy ; 
he  never  told  me  so  -,  all  he  said  was,  "  Why,  Jack,  the 
fact  is  when  they  picked  me  up,  I  was  quite  altogether 
non  pompusy  I  also  collected  at  various  times  the  following 
facts, — that  he  was  put  into  the  mizen-top,  and  served 
three  years  in  the  West  Indies ;  that  he  was  transferred 
to  the  main-top,  and  served  five  years  in  the  Mediterranean ; 
that  he  was  made  captain  of  the  foretop,  and  sailed  six 
years  in  the  East  Indies  j  and,  at  last,  was  rated  captain's 
coxswain's  in  the  Druid  frigate,  attached  to  the  Channel 
fleet  cruising  during  the  peace.  Having  thus  condensed 
the  genealogical  and  chronological  part  of  this  history,  I 
now  come  to  a  portion  of  it  in  which  it  will  be  necessary 
that  I  should  enter  more  into  detail. 

The  frigate  in  which  my  father  eventually  served  as 
captain's  coxswain  was  commanded  by  a  Sir  Hercules 
Hawkingtrefylyan,  Baronet.  He  was  very  poor  and  very 
proud,  for  baronets  were  not  so  common  in  those  days. 
He  was  a  very  large  man,  standing  six  feet  high,  and 
with  what  is  termed  a  considerable  boiv-windoiu  in  front ; 
but  at  the  same  time  portly  in  his  carriage.  He  wore  his 
hair  well  powdered,  exacted  the  utmost  degree  of 
ceremony  and  respect,  and  considered  that  even  speaking 
to  one  of  his  officers  was  paying  them  a  very  high  com- 
pliment :  as  for  being  asked  to  his  table,  there  were  but 
few  who  could  boast  of  having  had  that  honour,  and 
even  those  few  perhaps  not  more  than  once  in  the  year. 
But  he  was,  as  I  have  said,  very  poor ;  and  moreover  he 
was  a  married  man,  which  reminds  me  that  I  must 
introduce  his  lady,  who,  as  the  ship  was  on  Channel 
service,  had  lodgings  at  the  port  near  to  which  the  frigate 
was  stationed,  and  occasionally  came  on  board  to  take  a 
passage  when  the  frigate  changed  her  station  to  the 
eastward  or  to  the  westward.  Lady  Hercules,  as  we 
were  directed  to  call  her  by  Sir  Hercules,  was  as  large  in 


Poor  Jack  3 

dimensions,  and  ten  times  more  proud  than  her  husband. 
She  was  an  excessive  fine  lady  in  every  respect ;  and 
whenever  she  made  her  appearance  on  board,  the  ship's 
company  looked  upon  her  with  the  greatest  awe.  She 
had  a  great  dislike  to  ships  and  sailors;  officers  she  seldom 
condescended  to  notice  ;  and  pitch  and  tar  were  her 
abomination.  Sir  Hercules  himself  submitted  to  her 
dictation ;  and,  had  she  lived  on  board,  she  would  have 
commanded  the  ship :  fortunately  for  the  service,  she  was 
always  very  sea-sick  when  she  was  taking  a  passage,  and 
therefore  did  no  mischief.  *'  I  recollect,"  said  my  father 
to  me,  "once  when  we  were  running  down  to  Portsmouth, 
where  we  had  been  ordered  for  provisions,  that  my  Lady 
Hercules,  who  was  no  fool  of  a  weight,  being  one  night 
sea-sick  in  her  cot,  the  lanyard  of  the  cot  gave  way, 
and  she  came  down  with  a  run  by  the  head.  The  steward 
was  called  by  the  sentry,  and  there  was  a  terrible  shindy. 
I,  of  course,  was  sent  for,  as  I  had  the  hanging  up  of  the 
cot.  There  was  Sir  Hercules  with  his  shirt  flapping  in 
the  wind,  and  a  blanket  over  his  shoulders,  strutting 
about  in  a  towering  passion ;  there  was  the  officer  of  the 
watch,  who  had  been  sent  for  by  mistake,  and  who  was 
ordered  to  quit  the  cabin  immediately ;  and  there  was  I, 
expecting  to  be  put  in  irons,  and  have  seven  dozen  for 
my  breakfast.  As  for  Sir  Hercules,  he  didn't  know  what 
to  do ;  he  did  nothing  but  storm  at  everybody,  for  my 
lady,  with  her  head  under  the  clothes,  was  serving  him 
out  at  no  small  rate.  She  wouldn't,  she  declared,  allow 
any  man  to  come  into  the  cabin  to  hoist  her  up  again. 
So  indecent,  so  indelicate,  so  shocking, — she  was  ashamed 
of  Sir  Hercules, — to  send  for  the  men ;  if  they  didn't 
leave  the  cabin  immediately,  she'd  scream  and  she'd  faint, 
— that  she  would — there  was  no  saying  what  she  wouldn't 
do  !  Well,  there  we  waited  just  outside  until  at  last  Sir 
Hercules  and  my  lady  came  to  a  parley.  She  was  too 
sick  to  get  out  of  bed,  and  he  was  not  able  to  hoist  her 
up  without  assistance ;  so  being  as  I  suppose,  pretty  well 
tired  of  lying  with  her  head  three  feet  lower  than  her 


4  Poor  Jack 

heels ;  she  consented,  provided  that  she  was  properly 
klvered  up,  to  allow  us  to  come  in  and  put  all  to  rights. 
Well,  first  she  made  Sir  Hercules  throw  over  her  his  two 
boat  cloaks,  but  that  wouldn't  do  ;  so  he  threw  the  green 
cloth  from  off  the  table,  but  that  warn't  enough  for  her 
delicate  sensibility,  and  she  hollowed  from  under  the 
clothes  for  more  kivering ;  so  Sir  Hercules  sent  for  two 
of  the  ship's  ensigns,  and  coiled  away  the  bunting  on  her 
till  it  was  as  high  as  a  haycock,  and  then  we  were  per- 
mitted to  come  in  and  hoist  her  ladyship  up  again  to  the 
battens.  Fortunately  it  was  not  a  slippery  hitch  that 
had  let  her  down  by  the  run,  but  the  lanyard  had  given 
way  from  my  lady's  own  weight,  so  my  back  was  not 
scratched  after  all.  "Women  ain't  no  good  on  board,  Jack, 
that's  sartain." 

But  I  must  now  introduce  a  more  important  personage 
than  even  Lady  Hercules,  which  is  my  mother.  They  say 
"like  master,  like  man,"  and  I  may  add  "like  lady,  like 
maid."  Lady  Hercules  was  fine,  but  her  maid  was  still 
finer.  Most  people  when  they  write  their  biography,  if 
their  parents  were  poor,  inform  you  that  they  left  them  a 
good  name  and  nothing  else.  Some  parents  cannot  even 
do  that ;  but  all  parents  can  at  all  events  leave  their 
children  a  pretty  name,  by  taking  a  little  trouble  at  their 
baptism.  My  mother's  name  was  Araminta,  which,  as  my 
father  truly  observed,  was  "a  touch  above  the  common." 
She  had  originally  gone  into  service  as  a  nursery-maid,, 
living  in  her  first  situation  one  year  and  nine  months  ;  in 
her  second,  she  remained  two  years  and  four  months  ;  then 
she  left  to  better  herself,  and  obtained  the  situation  of 
nurse  in  a  family  where  she  remained  two  years  and  one 
month  ;  after  which  Lady  Hercules  then  having  a  child  of 
a  year  old,  she  was  received  into  her  service.  At  three 
years  old  the  child  died,  and  my  mother  was  promoted  to 
the  situation  of  lady's-maid.  This  advancement  quite 
spoiled  her ;  she  was  prouder  than  her  mistress,  and  gave 
herself  ten  times  more  airs,  and  when,  at  first,  my  father 
(who  as  coxswain  was  constantly  up  at  the  house)  offered 


Poor  Jack  5 

to  speak  to  her,  she  turned  away  from  hhn  in  most  ineffable 
disdain.  Now  my  father  was  at  that  time  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  and  thought  no  small  beer  of  himself,  as  the 
saying  goes.  He  was  a  tall,  handsome  man,  indeed  so 
good  looking  that  they  used  to  call  him  "handsome  Jack" 
on  board  of  the  Druid,  and  he  had,  moreover,  a  pigtail  of 
most  extraordinary  size  and  length,  of  which  he  was  not  a 
little  proud,  as  it  hung  down  far  below  the  waistband  of 
his  trousers.  His  hair  was  black  and  glossy,  and  his 
lovelocks,  as  the  sailors  term  the  curls  which  they  wear  on 
their  temples,  were  of  the  most  insinuating  description. 
Now,  as  my  father  told  me,  when  he  first  saw  my  mother 
with  her  sky  scraping  cap  at  the  back  of  her  head,  so 
different  from  the  craft  in  general,  he  was  very  much 
inclined  to  board  her  ;  but  when  she  boomed  him  off  in 
that  style,  my  father,  who  was  quite  the  rage  and  fancy 
man  among  the  ladies  of  Sally  Port  and  Castle  Rag,  hauled 
his  wind  in  no  time,  hitching  up  his  white  trousers,  and 
turning  short  round  on  his  heel,  so  as  to  present  his  back 
to  her  whenever  they  happened  to  meet.  For  a  long  time 
he  gave  her  a  wide  berth.  Now  this  fact  of  my  father 
returning  her  disdain  had  the  usual  effect.  At  first  she 
was  very  savage,  and  when  she  spoke  of  him  to  Lady 
Hercules,  she  designated  him  as  "  that  proud  coxswain, 
who  seemed  to  think  himself  a  greater  man  than  Sir 
Hercules  himself — with  his  filthy  pigtail  indeed !  "  My 
father  also,  when  he   spoke  of  her  to  the   boat's   crew, 

termed  her  *'  that  proud of  a  lady's  maid,"  the  word 

not  mentionable,  being  both  canine  and  feminine.  Thus 
matters  went  on  for  some  time,  until  my  mother,  by 
a  constant  survey  of  my  father's  handsome  proportions, 
every  day  thought  him  to  be  a  more  proper  man,  and 
a  few  advances  on  her  part  at  last  brought  them  to  a 
mutual  understanding. 


Poor  Jack 


Chapter  II 

My  father  does  what  most  sailors  do — he  makes  a  foolish  marriage,  one  of 
the  consequences  of  which  is  brought  to  light  at  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

I  HAVE  observed  at  the  finale  of  my  first  chapter,  that  at 
last  my  mother  and  father  came  to  a  good  understanding  ; 
but,  at  the  same  time  Madam  Araminta  (for  so  my  mother 
insisted  upon  being  called)  took  good  care  to  let  my  father 
understand  that  she  considered  that  she  M^as  lowering 
herself  by  surrendering  up  her  charms  to  a  captain's 
coxswain.  She  informed  him  that  her  father  might  be  said 
to  have  been  royally  connected,  being  a  king's  messenger 
(and  so,  indeed,  he  might  be  considered,  having  been 
a  two-penny  postman) ;  and  that  her  mother  had  long 
scores  against  the  first  nobles  in  the  land  (she  was  a 
milk-woman),  and  that  she  had  dry-nursed  a  young 
baronet,  and  was  now,  not  merely  a  ladies'  maid,  but  a 
ladfs  ladies'  maid.  All  this  important  and  novel  communica- 
tion sunk  deep  in  my  father's  mind,  and  when  he  heard  it 
he  could  hardly  believe  his  good  fortune  in  having  achieved 
such  a  conquest ;  but,  as  the  sequel  will  prove,  his 
marriage  did  not  turn  out  very  happily.  He  used  to  say 
to  me  "Jack,  take  my  advice,  and  never  marry  above  your 
condition,  as  I  did  ;  nothing  would  please  me,  but  a  ladfs 
ladies''  maid;  I  had  no  right  to  look  up  to  even  a  ladies' 
maid,  and  had  your  mother  only  been  a  simple  maid, 
all  might  have  been  right."  But  these  were  after- 
reflections  when  it  was  too  late.  I  do  not  wonder  at  my 
poor  father's  senses  being  dazzled,  for,  as  he  said  to  me, 
"  You  see,  Jack,  after  being  used  to  see  nothing  but  Point 
women,  all  so  slack  in  stays  and  their  rigging  out  of  order, 
to  fall  aboard  of  a  craft  like  your  mother,  so  trim  and  neat, 
ropes  all  taut,  stays  well  set  up,  white  hammock-cloths 
spread  every  day  in  the  week,  and  when  under  weigh, 
with  a  shawl  streaming  out  like  a  silk  ensign,  and  such  a 
rakish  gaif  topsail    bonnet,  with  pink  pennants  j    why,  it 


Poor  Jack  7 

was  for  all  the  world  as  if  I  was  keeping  company  with  a 
tight  little  frigate  after  rolling  down  channel  with  a  fleet 
of  colliers :  but  howsomever,  fine  feathers  don't  make  fine 
birds,  and  handsome  is,  as  handsome  does." 

My  father's  marriage  was,  however,  precipitated  by 
circumstances.  One  afternoon,  after  he  had  been  accepted, 
he  had  taken  his  quid  out  of  his  cheek,  wiped  his  mouth 
with  the  back  of  his  hand,  and  was  in  the  act  of  giving 
and  receiving  a  chaste  salute,  when  Lady  Hercules 
happened  to  come  down  into  the  kitchen, — a  most  rare 
occurrence,  and  wholly  unexpected  from  a  lady  of  her 
refined  and  delicate  ideas.  She  caught  my  father  and 
mother  in  the  very  fact ;  and  (as  my  father  expressed  it), 
with  an  exclamation  of  horror,  "She  'bout  ship,  and 
sculled  upstairs  like  winkin'."  A  loud  peal  of  the  bell 
summoned  up  my  mother,  leaving  my  father  in  a  state 
of  no  pleasant  suspense,  for  he  was  calculating  how  far 
Sir  Hercules  could  bring  in  "kissing  a  lady's  ladies'  maid" 
under  the  article  of  war  as  "  contempt  of  superiors,"  and, 
if  so,  how  many  dozen  kisses  his  back  might  receive 
from  the  cat  in  return.  "While  he  was  absorbed  in  this 
pleasing  speculation,  Lady  Hercules  was  pouring  out 
anathemas  against  my  mother's  want  of  delicacy  and 
decency,  informing  her  that  it  was  impossible  she  could 
submit  the  decoration  of  her  person  to  one  who  has  so 
contaminated  herself  with  a  tobacco-chewing  seaman, — 
who  was  all  pigtail  within  and  without ;  for,  as  the 
Scripture  says,  "Who  can  touch  pitch  without  being 
defiled  ? " 

Although  my  mother  had  made  up  her  mind,  that  if  it 
was  to  be  a  question  between  a  place  and  a  husband,  she 
should  decide  upon  retaining  the  latter,  still  she  thought 
it  advisable,  if  it  were  possible,  to  conciliate  my  lady. 
She  therefore  pulled  out  a  cambric  handkerchief,  and 
while  her  ladyship  scolded,  she  covered  up  her  face  and 
wept.  Lady  Hercules  continued  to  scold  until  she  was 
out  of  breath,  and  thereby  compelled  to  stop.  My  mother 
then   replied  with   deep  humility  and  many  tears,  "  that 


8  Poor  Jack 

indeed  she  had  been  so  persuaded  (sob)  that  she  at 
last  promised  to  (sob)  marry  ;  but  only  on  one  condition — 
yes,  indeed — (sob)  that  her  ladyship  gave  her  consent — 
positively  on  no  other  (sob) — no,  indeed,  upon  her  honour  ! 
Mr  Saunders  was — (sob) — excellent  young  man — (sob) — 
so  attached  to  Sir  Hercules  (sob),  and  had  such  a  great 
respect  for  her  ladyship,  that — (sob — sob — sob) — he  had 
won  her  heart." 

By  this  time  her  ladyship  had  regained  her  breath,  and 
she  interrupted  my  mother  by  pointing  out  to  her,  that 
allowing  all  she  said  to  be  correct,  yet  still  that  was  no 
reason  why  she  should  allow  such  indecent  liberties ;  that 
Sir  Hercules  had  never  obtained  such  favours  from  her 
until  after  the  ring  had  been  put  on  her  finger.  Then, 
indeed,  such  things  might  be — that  is,  occasionally ;  but 
the  kitchen  of  all  places  ! — And,  besides,  how  did  she 
know  how  many  wives  the  coxswain  had  already  ?  She 
shouldn't  be  surprised,  if,  with  that  long  pigtail  of  his, 
he  had  five  at  least — nay,  perhaps,  six  or  seven.  Here 
my  mother  replied,  that  "  it  was  out  of  gratitude  to  her 
(sob)  for  having  consented  to  permit  him  to  (sob)  speak 
to  Sir  Hercules  (sob),  who  would  plead  with  her  ladyship 
(sob),  which  had  occasioned  Mr  Saunders  (sob)  to  take — 
such — a — liberty  (sob — sob — sob) — which  he  had  never — 
done    before    (sob) — No  ! — never — upon    her    honour — 

never ! "      And   here  my  mother's  sobs   choked  her 

utterance. 

This  explanation  somewhat  pacified,  and  a  little  sub- 
sequent humility  and  flattery  gained  the  mistress,  who 
consented  to  settle  the  matter  with  Sir  Hercules,  alleging, 
as  one  principal  reason  for  so  doing,  that  after  the 
familiarity  which  had  taken  place  between  them,  the 
sooner  they  were  married  the  better.  The  wishes  of 
her  ladyship  were  tantamount  to  commands.  Sir  Hercules 
pronounced  my  father  to  be  a  fool,  and  they  were  married. 

My  mother  was  a  good-looking  person,  perhaps  two  or 
three  years  older  than  my  father ;  she  was  of  a  very  bad 
temper,  very  vindictive  and  revengeful,  and  in  every  way 


Poor  Jack  9 

she  had  a  pleasure  in  annoying  other  people,  and  when 
she  succeeded  she  invariably  concluded  her  remarks  with 
*'  There — now  you're  vexed  !  "  Whenever  out  of  humour 
herself  from  the  observations  of  others,  she  attempted  to 
conceal  her  vexation  by  singing  -,  and  having  been  so 
many  years  of  her  life  in  the  nursery,  her  songs  were 
usually  those  little  ditties  used  to  pacify  or  amuse  children 
in  arms.  "Saunders,"  she  would  cry  out,  "if  you  arn't 
the  biggest  fool  that  ever  v/alk'd  on  two  legs — to  look 
at  that  long  tail  of  yours  you're  so  proud  of,  one  would 
think  I'd  married  a  monkey,  a  hourang-hoivtang,  instead  of 
a  man.  There — now  you're  vexed  !  One  can't  open  one's 
mouth."  My  mother  knew  where  to  strike  j  and  this 
attack  upon  his  pigtail  was  certain  to  provoke  my  father, 
who  would  retort  in  no  measured  language,  till  she,  in 
her  turn,  lost  her  temper,  and  then  out  she  would  sing, 
in  a  sort  of  scream — 

"  Hey  diddle,  diddle,  the  cat  and  the  fiddle. 
The  cow  jumped  over  the  moon,"  &c. 

And  thus  she  continued  to  sing  (or  squeal)  until  her  wrath 
cooled  down. 

The  consequences  of  forming  a  matrimonial  alliance  with 
a  captain's  coxswain  soon  became  visible.  Six  months  after 
they  had  been  married.  Lady  Hercules  pronounced  my 
mother's  appearance  to  be  quite  indecent,  and  declared  her 
no  longer  fit  for  the  office  of  lady's  maid  to  a  lady  of  her 
exquisite  delicacy  •,  and  my  mother,  who  became  less  active 
every  day,  received  notice  to  quit,  which  she  did,  when  her 
month  was  up,  in  great  wrath,  packing  up  her  boxes,  and 
slamming  the  door  as  she  left  the  house,  singing  at  the  very 
highest  pitch  of  her  voice, 

"  Dickory,  dickory,  dock  ;  the  mouse  ran  up  the  clock,"  &c. 

My  father  wished  her  to  come  and  live  with  him  on  board 
the  frigate  ;  but  to  that  my  mother  would  not  consent, 
saying,  that  she  had,  it  was  true,  degraded  herself  and  her 
family  by  marrying  a  coxswain,  but  she  was  not  going  to 


lo  Poor  Jack 

further  contaminate  herself  by  mixing  with  the  vulgar 
creatures  on  board.  In  this  resolve  I  think  my  mother  was 
right ;  but  her  dismissal  and  disgrace  was  followed  up  by 
my  father  being  disrated  and  turned  into  the  main-top,  for 
no  other  reason  in  the  world  than  such  being  the  will  and 
pleasure  of  Lady  Hercules. 

Her  ladyship  considered  that  she  had  lost  a  good  servant 
through  my  father's  intervention  5  and  having  therefore 
taken  a  dislike  to  him,  did  not  choose  that  he  should,  as 
coxswain,  come  up  to  the  house  as  usual ;  and,  as  he  no 
longer  did  the  duty  of  coxswain,  she  asserted  that  he  was 
not  entitled  to  the  rating.  Thus,  seven  months  had  hardly 
passed  away  before  my  father's  marriage  became  a  source 
of  vexation  and  annoyance ;  his  pay  was  decreased,  and  he 
was  no  longer  a  petty  officer.  My  mother's  pride  was 
hurt ;  and  if  she  was  resolute  in  not  going  on  board  to 
remain  with  him  when  he  was  captain's  coxswain,  she  was 
still  more  so,  now  that  he  was  reduced  to  a  common  seaman. 
As  for  my  father,  he  was  the  picture  of  misery, — he  had  no 
consolation  except  turning  his  quid  and  tying  his  pigtail. 

But  everything  changes  in  this  world,  and  among  other 
changes  was  that  of  the  station  of  the  frigate,  which  was 
ordered  foreign.  Sir  Hercules  took  leave  of  his  lady,  who 
retired  to  Tonbridge  Wells.  My  father  took  leave  of  my 
mother,  who  retired  to  Woolwich.  She  had  saved  some 
money  in  service,  and  my  father  handed  over  to  her  all  the 
pay  which  he  received,  when  the  ship's  company  were  paid 
previous  to  the  sailing  of  the  ship.  It  is  but  justice  to 
observe,  that  the  moment  he  was  out  of  soundings  and 
away  from  the  influence  of  her  ladyship,  Sir  Hercules  rein- 
stated my  father,  and  gave  him  back  his  rating  as  coxswain. 
My  father  was  indeed  the  smartest  and  best  seaman  in  the 
ship  ;  he  could  do  his  work  from  stem  to  stern, — mouse  a 
stay,  pudding  an  anchor,  and  pass  a  gammoning,  as  well  as 
he  could  work  a  Turk's  head,  cover  a  manrope,  or  point  a 
lashing  for  the  cabin  table.  Besides  which,  he  had  seen 
service,  having  fought  under  Rodney,  and  served  at  the 
siege  of  Gibraltar. 


Poor  Jack  1 1 

But  I  must  return  to  my  mother,  who,  when  she  first 
went  to  Woolwich,  which  she  did  in  a  transport  that  was 
ordered  round,  took  lodgings  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town ; 
and  not  wishing  to  acknowledge  that  she  had  married  a 
common  sailor,  as  she  supposed  my  father  still  to  be, 
asserted  that  she  was  the  wife  of  a  captain  of  a  merchant 
vessel,  which  had  been  taken  up  as  a  transport  to  convey 
troops  to  the  West  Indies.  On  this  supposition,  being 
received  into  her  society  above  her  real  station,  she  was 
compelled  to  spend  more  money  than  she  could  afford,  and 
her  finances  rapidly  wasted  away.  In  the  meantime  I  was 
born — a  fine  baby ;  but  with  nothing  to  look  up  to  but  a 
penniless  mother,  an  absent  (if  existing)  father,  the  work- 
house, and  the  sky. 


Chapter  III 

In  which  my  mother  proves  herself  a  tender  wife,  and  at  the  same  time 
shows  her  patriotism  and  devotion  to  her  country. 

I  HAD  almost  unconsciously  arrived  at  the  age  of  two  years 
before  there  were  any  tidings  of  my  father.  All  the  in- 
formation that  my  mother  could  obtain  was,  that  the  ship's 
company  of  the  Druid  had  been  turned  over  to  another 
frigate  called  the  Melpomene,  the  former  having  been 
declared  not  seaworthy,  and  in  consequence  condemned  and 
broken  up  at  Port  Royal. 

But  no  letter  had  been  received  from  my  father,  who 
indeed  was  not  much  of  a  scholar ;  he  could  read,  but  he 
could  not  write.  By  this  time  my  mother's  savings  were 
expended,  and  she  was  in  great  tribulation  lest  the  deceit 
she  had  practised  should  be  exposed.  Indeed,  there  were 
already  many  surmises  as  to  the  truth  of  her  story,  it  being 
so  long  that  her  husband  had  been  absent.  At  last,  when 
she  had  changed  her  only  remaining  guinea,  a  letter  arrived 
from  my  father,  dated  from  Portsmouth,  stating  that  the 


12  Poor  Jack 

ship  was  to  be  paid  off  in  a  few  days,  and  then  "  he  would 
clap  on  all  sail  and  be  on  board  of  his  old  woman  in  no 
time." 

My  mother,  although  not  a  little  disgusted  at  being 
called  an  old  v/oman, — an  affront  which  she  determined  to 
revenge  upon  a  more  fitting  occasion, — was  in  raptures 
with  the  contents  of  the  letter  :  she  therefore  returned  a 
kind  answer,  informing  my  father  what  a  promising  child 
he  was  blessed  with,  and  giving  him  a  direction  to  meet 
her  at  Greenwich,  as  she  had  resolved  upon  not  receiving 
him  at  Woolwich,  where  her  false  assertions  would  have 
been  exposed.  Going  round  to  all  her  acquaintances,  she 
bade  them  farewell,  telling  them  that  her  husband  had 
returned  well,  and  well  to  do,  and  had  ordered  her  to  meet 
him  at  Greenwich.  Having  thus  satisfactorily,  as  she 
imagined,  got  out  of  this  little  difficulty,  she  packed  up 
and  hastened  to  Greenwich,  where  she  sunk  her  assumed 
rank  and  waited  very  impatiently  for  her  husband.  He 
came  at  last,  seated  with  many  others,  on  the  outside  of  a 
stage  coach, — his  hat  bedecked  with  ribands,  a  pipe  in  one 
hand  and  flourishing  a  pewter  pot  in  the  other.  It  hardly 
need  be  added  that  he  was  more  than  half  tipsy.  Never- 
theless, even  in  this  state,  he  was  well  received  j  and  after 
he  had  smothered  her  with  kisses,  dandled  me  on  his  knee, 
thrown  into  her  lap  all  the  pay  he  had  left,  and  drank 
three  more  pots  of  porter,  they  went  very  peaceably  and 
lovingly  to  repose. 

I  regret  to  say  that  this  amity  did  not  last  long.  My 
father's  manners,  which  perhaps  had  been  softened  down 
by  the  awe  which  he  had  of  Lady  Hercules  when  he  first 
made  my  mother's  acquaintance,  were  now  more  coarse, 
and  so  was  his  language  ;  and  the  neatness  and  cleanliness 
of  person  which  he  was  obhged  to  maintain  while  per- 
forming the  duties  of  a  coxswain  to  a  married  captain  were 
not  so  observable.  Besides  which,  being  no  longer  under 
discipline,  he  was  almost  every  night  intoxicated ;  and 
being  so,  was  more  self-willed  and  regardless  of  his  wife's 
injunctions :  the  consequences  were,  that  having  received 


Poor  Jack  13 

from  my  father  fifty  pounds,  my  mother  first  locked  that 
up,  and  then  *'  unlocked  her  jaw."  Disputes  were  now 
hourly  occurring;  and  it  was  "now  you're  vexed,"  and 
*'  hey  diddle  diddle,"  from  morning  till  night. 

My  father  would  repair  to  the  grog-shops  to  have  a 
dance  and  carouse  with  his  messmates,  and  my  mother 
would  not  accompany  him  to  such  a  vulgar  place :  conse- 
quently he  went  alone,  was  out  very  late,  coming  home 
very  drunk,  if  indeed  he  came  home  at  all.  Moreover,  the 
wives  and  companious  of  the  other  seamen  would  insult 
her  when  she  walked  out,  for  pretending  to  be  better  than 
they  were. 

One  day  when  she  was  walking  out  arm  in  arm  with 
my  father,  unluckily  she  was  met  by  one  of  her  Woolwich 
acquaintances.  This  was  the  severest  stroke  of  all,  as  she 
had  intended  to  return  to  Woolwich ;  but  now  she  was 
discovered,  and  avoided  by  one  party,  as  well  as  insulted 
by  the  other.  I  cannot  defend  my  mother's  conduct ;  nor 
indeed  was  she  deserving  of  pity,  as  her  treatment  had 
been  brought  about  by  her  own  folly  and  pride.  The 
effect  of  all  this  was,  however,  that  of  souring  her  temper 
still  more ;  and  the  constant  vituperation  poured  out  upon 
my  father  so  roused  his  indignation,  that  one  evening, 
when  more  than  usually  intoxicated,  the  "  lady's  ladies' 
maid  "  received  such  a  severe  box  on  the  ear,  that  the  one 
candle  turned  to  a  general  illumination.  This  blow  was 
never  forgotten  nor  forgiven,  although  my  father  was  very 
sorry  for  it,  and  begged  her  pardon  the  next  day,  with 
promises  of  amendment. 

Just  at  this  time  the  French  Revolution  commenced, 
and  there  was  expectation  of  a  war  with  France  ;  the  press- 
gangs  were  ordered  out,  and  the  seamen,  aware  of  it, 
remained  concealed  until  they  should  leave  the  town.  But 
my  mother  had  made  up  her  mind  ;  she  found  out  an 
officer  who  commanded  one  of  the  press-gangs,  gave  her 
address,  and  having  supplied  my  father  with  spirits  until  he 
was  stupefied,  she  let  in  the  gang,  and  before  morning  my 
father  was  safe  on  board  of  the  tender  lying  off  the  Tower. 


14  Poor  Jack 

This  treachery  on  her  part  my  father  did  not  discover 
until  some  time  afterwards  ;  and  it  was  the  occasion  of  a 
scene  between  them,  as  I  shall  hereafter  show.  The  next 
day  my  mother  went  on  board  of  the  tender  to  visit  my 
father,  put  her  cambric  handkerchief  to  her  eyes,  pressed 
his  hand  between  the  iron  bars,  and  lamented  his  hard  fate, 
and  her  hard  fate  j  but  when  requested  by  him  to  smuggle 
a  little  liquor  in  a  bladder  to  comfort  him  with,  she  tossed 
up  her  head  and  declared,  that  "  nothing  could  induce  her 
to  do  anything  so  ungenteel."  Whereupon  my  father 
turned  away,  lamenting  the  day  that  ever  he  had  married 
a  lady's  ladies'  maid. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards  my  mother  brought  my  father 
his  kit  of  clothes,  and  two  pounds  of  his  own  money.  As 
a  war  was  expected,  my  mother  would  have  persuaded  my 
father  to  give  her  his  "  will  and  power "  to  receive  his 
prize-money  ;  but  my  father,  grown  comparatively  wiser, 
positively  refused.  He  turned  away  on  his  heel,  and  they 
parted. 

I  shall,  for  the  present,  leave  my  father  to  his  fortunes, 
and  follow  those  of  my  mother.  Convinced  by  his  refusal 
to  sign  the  deed,  which  she  had  brought  ready  prepared 
with  her,  that  she  had  little  in  future  to  expect  from  my 
father,  and  aware  probably  of  the  risk  incurred  by  a  seaman 
from  "  battle,  fire,  and  wreck,"  she  determined  this  time  to 
husband  her  resources,  and  try  if  she  could  not  do  some- 
thing for  herself.  At  first  she  thought  of  going  again  into 
service  and  putting  me  out  to  nurse ;  but  she  discovei-ed 
that  my  father's  return  was  not  without  its  consequences, 
and  that  she  was  again  to  be  a  mother.  She  therefore 
hired  rooms  in  Fisher's  Alley,  a  small  street  still  existing  in 
Greenwich,  and  indeed  still  a  general  thoroughfare.  Here, 
in  due  time,  she  was  brought  to  bed  of  a  daughter,  whom 
she  christened  by  the  name  of  Virginia  ;  not  so  much  out 
of  respect  to  her  last  mistress,  who  bore  that  name,  as 
because  she  considered  it  peculiarly  ladylike  and  genteel. 


Poor  Jack  15 

Chapter  IV 

In  which  I  tell  the  reader  all  I  can  recollect  about  myself,  and  moreover 
prove  the  truth  of  the  old  adage,  "  that  it  is  a  wise  child  who  knows  its 
own  father." 

My  readers  must  not  expect  me  to  tell  them  much  of  what 
passed  during  the  first  four  years  of  my  existence.  I 
have  a  recollection  of  a  deal  board  put  at  the  door  of  our 
house,  which  opened  into  Fisher's  Alley,  to  prevent  me, 
and  afterwards  my  sister,  from  crawling  out.  Fisher's 
Alley  is  a  very  narrow  street,  and  what  was  said  in  a  room 
on  one  side  of  it  can  be  heard  on  the  other,  and  I  used  to 
hang  over  the  board  and  listen  :  there  were  drunken  men 
and  drunken  women,  and  occasionally  scolding  and  fighting. 
My  mother,  having  made  up  her  mind  to  be  saving,  had 
taken  a  lease  of  the  house  and  furnished  it ;  and  every  day 
I  heard  her  saying  at  the  door,  "  "Walk  in,  gentlemen ;  I've 
a  nice  clean  room  and  boiling  hot  water  " — for  the  seamen 
used  to  come  in  to  take  tea,  drink  and  smoke ;  and  so  did 
the  old  pensioners  occasionally,  for  my  mother  had  made 
acquaintance  with  several  of  them.  I  was  always  very 
ragged  and  dirty,  for  my  mother  neglected  and  ill-treated 
me :  as  soon  as  my  sister  was  born  she  turned  all  her 
affections  over  to  Virginia,  who  was  always  very  much 
petted,  well-dressed,  and  a  very  beautiful  child. 

All  this  I  recollect,  but  little  more,  except  that  my 
mother  gave  me  several  beatings  for  calling  my  sister 
"  Jenny,"  which  I  had  learnt  to  do  from  others  who  knew 
her;  but  when  my  mother  heard  them,  she  was  always 
very  angry,  and  told  them  that  her  child  had  not  such 
a  vulgar  name :  at  which  many  would  laugh,  and  make 
a  point  of  calling  out  "  Jenny  "  to  Virginia  whenever  they 
passed  and  saw  her  at  the  door.  When  I  was  a  little 
more  than  four  years  old  I  would  climb  over  the  board, 
for  I  had  no  pleasure  at  home.  As  I  grew  older,  I  used 
to  hasten  down  to  the  landing  steps  on  the  beach,  where 
the  new   inn   called  the    "  Trafalgar "   now  stands,  and 


i6  Poor  Jack 

watch  the  tide  as  it  receded,  and  pick  up  anything  I  could 
find,  such  as  bits  of  wood  and  oakum  ;  and  I  would  wonder 
at  the  ships  which  lay  in  the  stream,  and  the  vessels  sail- 
ing up  and  down.  I  would  sometimes  remain  out  late 
to  look  at  the  moon  and  the  lights  on  board  of  the  vessels 
passing  ;  and  then  I  would  turn  my  eyes  to  the  stars, 
and  repeat  the  lines  which  I  had  heard  my  mother  teach 
little  Virginia  to  lisp  : — 

"  Pretty  little  twinkling  star, 
How  I  wonder  what  you  are  ; 
All  above  the  earth  so  high, 
Like  a  diamond  in  the  sky  :  " 

and  when  I  did  stay  out  late  I  was  sure  of  having  no 
supper,  and  very  often  a  good  beating  ;  and  then  Virginia 
would  wake  and  cry,  because  my  mother  beat  me,  for  we 
were  fond  of  each  other.  And  my  mother  used  to  take 
Virginia  on  her  knee,  and  make  her  say  her  prayers  every 
night ;  but  she  never  did  so  to  me  :  and  I  used  to  hear 
what  Virginia  said,  and  then  go  into  a  corner  and  repeat 
it  to  myself.  I  could  not  imagine  why  Virginia  should 
be  taught  to  pray,  and  that  I  should  not. 

As  I  said  before,  my  mother  let  lodgings,  and  kept  the 
ground-floor  front  room  for  people  to  drink  tea  and  smoke 
in ;  and  I  used  to  take  my  little  stool  and  sit  at  the  knees 
of  the  pensioners  who  came  in,  and  hear  all  their  stories, 
and  try  to  make  out  what  they  meant,  for  half  was  to  me 
incomprehensible  ;  and  I  brought  them  fire  for  their  pipes, 
and  ran  messages.  Old  Ben  the  Whaler,  as  they  called 
him,  was  the  one  who  took  most  notice  of  me,  and  said 
that  I  should  be  a  man  one  of  these  days,  which  I  was  very 
glad  to  hear  then.  And  I  made  a  little  boat  for  my  sister, 
which  cost  me  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  labour  ;  and 
Ben  helped  me  to  paint  it,  and  I  gave  it  to  Virginia,  and 
she  and  I  were  both  so  pleased  ;  but  when  my  mother 
saw  it,  she  threw  it  into  the  fire,  saying  it  was  "  so 
ungenteel,"  and  we  both  cried ;  and  old  Ben  was  very 
angry,   and    said  something    to  my   mother,   which  made 


Poor  Jack  17 

her  sing,  **  Hey  diddle  diddle,"  for  the  whole  day  after- 
wards. 

Such  are  the  slight  reminiscences,  which  must  content 
the  reader,  of  my  early  existence. 

When  I  was  eight  years  old  (about  six  years  after  his 
last  visit),  my  father  made  his  appearance  ;  and  then,  for 
the  first  time,  I  knew  that  my  father  was  alive,  for  I  was 
but  two  years  old  when  he  left,  and  I  remembered  nothing 
about  him,  and  I  had  never  heard  my  mother  mention  his 
name,  as  if  he  still  existed. 

My  father  came  in  one  day  very  unexpectedly,  for  he 
had  given  no  notice  of  his  return  ;  and  it  so  happened 
that  as  he  came  in,  my  mother  was  beating  me  with  the 
frying-pan,  for  having  dipped  my  finger  in  the  grease, 
in  which  she  had  been  frying  some  slices  of  bacon.  She 
was  very  angry,  and  as  she  banged  me  with  it,  Virginia 
was  pulling  at  her  skirts,  crying  and  begging  her  to  desist. 
*'  You  little  wretch,"  cried  my  mother,  "  you'll  be  just 
such  a  sea-monster  as  your  father  was — little  wulgar 
animal,  you  must  put  your  finger  into  the  frying-pan, 
must  you  ?  There,  now,  you've  got  it."  So  saying, 
she  put  down  the  frying-pan,  and  commenced  singing 
as  loud  as  she  could,  "  Hush-a-by  baby,  Pussy's  a  lady  " 
— **  Ay — now  you're  vexed  I  dare  say,"  continued  she, 
as  she  walked  into  the  back  kitchen. 

All  this  time,  my  father  had  been  at  the  door  looking 
on,  which  she  had  not  perceived.  My  father  then  came 
in.     "What's  your  name,  my  lad  .'"'  said  he. 

"  Tommy  Saunders,"  replied  I,  rubbing  myself;  for  the 
frying-pan  was  very  hot,  and  my  trousers  very  much  out 
of  repair. 

*'  And  who  is  that  little  girl  ?  "  said  he. 

"  That's  my  sister  Virginia ; — but,"  continued  I,  "  who 
are  you  ?     Do  you  want  my  mother  ?  " 

"Not  very  particularly  just  now,"  said  my  father,  taking 
up  my  sister  and  kissing  her,  and  then  patting  me  on  the 
head. 

"  Do  you  want  any  beer  or  baccy  ?  "  said  I — "  I'll  run 

P.J.  B 


1 8  Poor  Jack 

and  get  you  some,  if  you  give  me  the  money,  and  bring 
back  your  change  all  right." 

"  Well,  so  you  shall,  Jack,  my  boy,"  replied  he  j  and 
he  gave  me  a  shilling.  I  soon  returned  with  the  pipes, 
tobacco,  and  beer,  and  offered  him  the  change,  which  he 
told  me  to  keep,  to  buy  apples  with  it.  Virginia  was  on 
the  knee  of  my  father,  who  was  coaxing  and  caressing  her, 
and  my  mother  had  not  yet  returned  from  the  back-kitchen. 
I  felt  naturally  quite  friendly  towards  a  man,  who  had 
given  me  more  money  than  I  ever  possessed  in  my  life  ; 
and  I  took  my  stool  and  sat  beside  him ;  while,  with  my 
sister  on  his  knee,  and  his  porter  before  him,  my  father 
smoked  his  pipe. 

*'  Does  your  mother  often  beat  you.  Jack  ? "  said  my 
father,  taking  the  pipe  out  of  his  mouth. 

"  Yes,  when  I  does  wrong,"  replied  I. 

"  Oh  !  only  when  you  do  wrong — eh  !  " 

"  Well,  she  says  I  do  wrong  ;  so  I  suppose  I  do." 

"  You're  a  good  boy,"  replied  my  father.  *'  Does  she 
ever  beat  you,  dear  ? "  said  he  to  Virginia. 

"  Oh  !  no,"  interrupted  I  j  "  she  never  beats  sister,  she 
loves  her  too  much  j  but  she  don't  love  me." 

My  father  puffed  away,  and  said  no  more. 

I  must  inform  the  reader,  that  my  father's  person  was 
very  much  altered  from  what  I  have  described  it  to  have 
been  at  the  commencement  of  this  narrative.  He  was  now 
a  boatswain's  mate,  and  wore  a  silver  whistle  hung  round 
his  neck  by  a  lanyard,  and  with  which  little  Virginia  was 
then  playing.  He  had  grown  more  burly  in  appearance, 
spreading,  as  sailors  usually  do,  when  they  arrive  to  about 
the  age  of  forty ;  and  moreover,  he  had  a  dreadful  scar 
from  a  cutlass  wound,  received  in  boarding,  which  had 
divided  the  whole  left  side  of  his  face,  from  the  eyebrow 
to  the  chin.  This  gave  him  a  very  fierce  expression ;  still 
he  was  a  fine-looking  man,  and  his  pigtail  had  grown  to 
a  surprising  length  and  size.  His  ship,  as  I  afterwards 
found  out,  had  not  been  paid  off,  but  he  had  obtained  a 
fortnight's  leave  of  absence,  while  she  was  refitting.     We 


Poor  Jack  19 

were  all  very  sociable  together,  without  there  being  the 
least  idea,  on  the  part  of  my  sister  and  myself,  with  whom 
we  were  in  company,  when  in  rolled  old  Ben  the  Whaler. 

*'  Sarvice  to  you,"  said  Ben,  nodding  to  my  father. 
"  Tommy,  get  me  a  pipe  of  'baccy." 

"  Here's  pipe  and  'baccy  too,  messmate,"  replied  my 
father.  "  Sit  down,  and  make  yourself  comfortable,  old 
chap." 

"  Won't  refuse  a  good  offer,"  replied  Ben,  "  been  too 
long  in  the  sarvice  for  that — and  you've  seen  sarvice  too, 
I  think,"  continued  Ben,  looking  my  father  full  in  the  face. 

"  Chop  from  a  French  officer,"  replied  my  father ;  after 
a  pause,  he  added,  "  but  he  didn't  live  to  tell  of  it." 

Ben  took  one  of  the  offered  pipes,  filled,  and  was  soon 
very  busy  puffing  away,  alongside  of  my  father. 


Chapter   V 

My  father  and  mother  meet  after  an  absence  of  six  years — She  discovers 
that  he  is  no  longer  a  coxswain  but  a  boatswain's  mate. 

While  my  father  and  Ben  are  thus  engaged,  I  will  give 
the  reader  a  description  of  the  latter. 

Ben  was  a  very  tall,  broad-shouldered  old  fellow,  but 
stooping  a  little  from  age :  I  should  think  he  must  have 
been  at  least  sixty,  if  not  more ;  still,  he  was  a  powerful, 
sinewy  man.  His  nose,  which  was  no  small  one,  had  been 
knocked  on  one  side,  as  he  told  me  by  the  flukes  (/.  e.  tail) 
of  a  whale  which  cut  in  half  a  boat,  of  which  he  was 
steersman.  He  had  a  very  large  mouth,  with  very  few 
teeth  in  it,  having  lost  them  by  the  same  accident ;  which^ 
to  use  his  own  expression,  had  at  the  time  "  knocked  his 
figure-head  all  to  smash."  He  had  sailed  many  years  in 
the  whale  fisheries,  had  at  last  been  pressed,  and  served  as 
quarter-master  on  board  of  a  frigate  for  eight  or  nine 
years,  when  his  ankle  was  broken  by  the  rolling  of  a  spar 
in  a  gale  of  wind.     He  was  in  consequence  invalided  for 


20  Poor  Jack 

Greenwich.  He  walked  stiff  on  this  leg,  and  usually 
supported  himself  with  a  thick  stick.  Ben  had  noticed  me 
from  the  time  that  my  mother  first  came  to  Fisher's  Alley ; 
he  was  the  friend  of  my  early  days,  and  I  was  very  much 
attached  to  him. 

A  minute  or  two  afterwards  my  father  pushed  the  pot 
of  porter  to  him.     Ben  drank,  and  then  said — 

*'  Those  be  nice  children,  both  on  'em — I  know  them 
well." 

"  And  what  kind  of  a  craft  is  the  mother  ? "  replied  my 
father. 

**  Oh  !  why,  she's  a  little  queer  at  times — she's  always 
so  mighty  particular  about  gentility." 

"Do  you  know  why?"  replied  my  father.  Ben  shook 
his  head.  "  Then  I'll  tell  you — because  she  was  once  a 
lady's  ladies'  maid." 

"Well,"  replied  Ben,  "I  don't  understand  much  about 
titles  and  nobility,  and  those  sort  of  things  ;  but  I'm  sorry 
she's  gone  down  in  the  world,  for  though  a  little  particular 
about  gentility,  she's  a  good  sort  of  woman  in  her  way, 
and  keeps  up  her  character,  and  earns  an  honest  liveli- 
hood." 

"  So  much  the  better  for  her,"  replied  my  father,  who 
refilled  his  pipe,  and  continued  to  smoke  in  silence. 

My  mother  had  gone  into  the  back-kitchen  to  wash, 
which  was  the  cause  (not  having  been  summoned)  of  her 
being  so  long  absent. 

Virginia,  who  had  become  quite  sociable,  was  passing 
her  little  fingers  through  my  father's  large  whiskers,  while 
he  every  now  and  then  put  his  pipe  out  of  his  mouth  to 
kiss  her.  I  had  the  porter  pot  on  my  knees,  my  father 
having  told  me  to  take  a  swig,  when  my  mother  entered 
the  room. 

'*  Well,  Mr  Benjamin,  I  shouldn't  wonder — but — Oh ! 
mercy,  it's  he  !  "  cried  my  mother.  *'  Oh  !  be  quick — 
Sal-wolatily ! " 

"Sail  who?  What  the  devil  does  she  mean?"  said  my 
father,  rising  up,  and  putting  my  sister  off  his  knee. 


Poor  Jack  2r 

"  I  never  heard  of  her,"  replied  Ben,  also  getting  up — 
**but  Mistress  Saunders  seems  taken  all  aback,  anyhow. 
Jack  !  run  and  fetch  a  bucket  of  water." 

**  Jack,  stay  where  you  are,"  cried  my  mother,  springing 
from  the  chair  on  which  she  had  thrown  herself.  "  Oh, 
dear  me  ! — the  shock  was  so  sudden — I'm  so  flustered — 
who'd  have  thought  to  have  seen  you  ? " 

"  Are  you  her  brother  ?  "  inquired  Ben. 

**  No  J  but  I'm  her  husband,"  replied  my  father. 

**  Well,  it's  the  first  time  I've  heard  that  she  had  one — 
but  I'll  be  off,  for  Mistress  Saunders  is  too  genteel  to  kiss, 
I  see,  before  company."  Ben  then  took  up  his  stick,  and 
left  the  house.  It  may  be  as  well  here  to  remark,  that 
during  his  absence,  my  father  had  fallen  in  with  one  of  the 
men  who  had  been  employed  in  the  press-gang,  and  from 
him  he  learnt  that  a  woman  had  given  the  information  by 
which  he  was  taken.  He  made  the  man,  who  was  present 
when  my  mother  called  upon  the  officer,  describe  her 
person ;  and  the  description  in  every  point  was  so  accurate, 
that  my  father  had  no  doubt  in  his  mind,  but  that  it  was 
my  mother  who  had  betrayed  him :  this  knowledge  had 
for  years  rankled  in  his  breast ;  and  he  had  come  home, 
not  only  from  a  wish  to  see  how  things  were  going  on, 
but  to  reproach  my  mother  with  her  treachery. 

Whether  my  mother's  conscience  smote  her,  or  that  she 
perceived  by  my  father's  looks  that  a  squall  was  brewing, 
I  know  not ;  but  as  soon  as  Ben  had  left  the  house,  she 
shut  the  street-door  that  the  neighbours  might  not  hear. 
Having  so  done,  she  turned  to  my  father,  who  had  resumed 
his  seat  and  his  pipe. 

"Well,"  said  she,  putting  her  apron  to  her  eyes,  "you 
have  been  away  a  good  six  years,  and  left  me  to  get  on 
how  I  could  with  these  two  poor  orphanless  children." 

"  You  know  best  why  I  went,"  replied  my  father,  "  and 
by  whose  means  I  was  walked  oiFin  such  a  hurry." 

"  Me  ? "  replied  my  mother. 

"  Yes,  you,"  responded  my  father. 

"  Well,  what  next  ?  "  cried  she. 


22  Poor  Jack 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  next,"  said  my  father  rising,  and 
taking  about  eighteen  inches  of  inch-and-a-half  rope,  out 
of  his  pocket.  **  Look  you,  ma'am,  when  I  first  found  out 
that  it  was  by  your  peaching  that  I  was  sent  on  board 
of  the  Tender,  I  made  up  this  colt  ;  and  I  vowed  that  I 
would  keep  it  in  my  pocket  till  I  served  you  out — now  the 
time's  come." 

Here  my  father  flourished  his  rope's  end.  My  mother 
would  have  flown  to  the  door,  but  my  father  was  before- 
hand with  her  :  he  turned  the  key,  and,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  Virginia  and  me,  he  seized  my  mother,  and, 
holding  her  at  arm's  length,  gave  her  several  blows — not 
severe  ones,  I  must  acknowledge,  indeed  they  could  not 
have  hurt  her. 

*'  There,"  said  my  father  ;  *'  it's  well  for  you,  my  Lady 
lady's  maid,  that  I  did  not  fall  in  with  you,  when  I  first 
made  up  this  colt  ;  and  it's  well  for  you  that  I've  heard 
a  good  character  of  you  from  the  old  chap  who  has  just 
now  left  the  house,  or  you'd  have  smarted  for  the  false 
trick  you  played  upon  me.  Howsomever,  I've  kept  my 
oath,  and  you  may  thank  your  stars  that  it's  not  worse." 

My  mother,  who  had  not  uttered  a  cry  during  the 
punishment,  but  oaly  looked  very  indignant,  now  that  my 
father  had  finished  his  speech  and  was  rolling  up  his  colt, 
to  put  it  in  his  pocket,  suddenly  threw  herself  down  on 
the  floor,  screaming  murder  with  all  her  might :  the  noise 
summoned  the  neighbours — all  Fisher's  Alley  was  in  an 
uproar,  and  our  house  was  besieged  with  people,  who 
attempted  to  force  their  way  in — for  my  mother  continued 
her  screams,  and  poor  little  Virginia  became  so  frightened, 
that  she  also  roared  as  loud  as  her  mother. 

"  I've  more  than  two  minds,"  said  my  father,  taking  the 
rope's  end  out  of  his  pocket  again — "  but  howsomever, 
since  you  wish  it,  all  the  world  shall  know  it." 

My  father  put  his  colt  into  his  pocket,  and  went  to 
unlock  the  door  :  my  mother,  perceiving  what  he  was 
about,  immediately  rose  and  hastened  upstairs  to  her  own 
room.      My  father  then   told   the  neighbours  what  had 


Poor  Jack  23 

occurred,  and  why  my  mother  had  been  punished,  and  the 
verdict  of  Fisher's  Alley  was,  "  sarved  her  right."  Ben 
the  "Whaler,  who  was  outside  with  the  others,  espoused 
my  father's  cause  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  people  dispersed, 
my  father  invited  him  to  join  him  in  his  pipe  and  pot. 

Little  Virginia,  still  terrified,  had  crept  up  to  her  mother. 
I,  on  the  contrary,  felt  the  highest  respect  for  one  who 
could  dare  to  punish  my  mother,  who  had  so  often 
punished  me  ;  and  the  knowledge  that  he  was  my  father 
inspired  me  with  a  feeling  of  tenderness  towards  him, 
which  I  could  not  repress.  I  was  old  enough  to  under- 
stand why  my  mother  had  received  such  treatment,  and 
I  could  not  feel  angry  with  my  father  ;  I  therefore  stayed 
below,  and  went  for  the  porter  as  was  required. 

I  believe  that  at  first  it  had  been  my  father's  intentions 
to  have  administered  a  much  severer  castigation  to  my 
mother,  and  then  to  have  left  the  house,  taking  me  with 
him,  for  he  had  not  been  apprised  of  the  birth  of  Virginia  ; 
but  whatever  were  his  intentions  before  he  came,  or  for 
the  morrow,  it  is  certain  that  he  continued  to  smoke  and 
talk  with  old  Ben  the  Whaler  till  a  very  late  hour,  while  I 
sat  by  and  listened. 


Chapter  VI 

A  bright  pleasant  evening  after  a  squall,  in  which  the  art  of  angling  is 
introduced  in  a  way  which  would  have  added  to  the  knowledge  of  Izaac 
Walton  himself. 

"  I  BEG  pardon,  messmate,"  said  Ben,  as  he  and  my  father 
became  more  sociable  ;  "  but  may  I  make  so  bold  as  to  ask 
you  how  you  contrived  to  get  that  seam  across  your  figure- 
head ?  You  did  say  something  about  a  Frenchman,  if  I 
heard  right  -,  and  as  the  war  is  now  of  two  years'  standing, 
I  suppose  you've  had  a  rap  or  two  at  Mounseer." 

"  'Xpect  I  have,"  replied  my  father.     "  Well,  old  chap, 
I'll  just  wet  my  whistle,  and  then  I'll  tell  you  all  about 


24  Poor  Jack 

it, — and  it  won't  take   long   neither.      The   boats  were 
ordered  away " 

'*  Of  what  ship,  messmate  ?  " 

"  Very  true,  I  began  in  the  middle.  Well,  it  was  in  the 
ship  I  now  belongs  to,  the  Oudacious — we  were  with  the 
squadron  off  Ferrol  j — signal  made  to  chase  south-east — 
clapt  every  stitch  on  her  after  two  gun-boats,  who  were 
running  down  in-shore.  Light  winds — got  well  in  for  the 
land,  and  then  it  fell  calm.  Gun-boats  four  miles  off, 
using  their  sweeps — out  boats  in  chase  •, — I  was  coxswain 
of  the  first  pinnace, — a  devilish  fast  boat,  messmate,  I  can 
tell  you,  with  a  smart  brass  gun, — pulled  two  feet  to  their 
one,  and  came  up  with  them  hand-over-hand — both  cutters 
and  the  other  pinnace  well  up  with  us — the  old  launch, 
half  a  mile  astern.  Now  you  see,  sir,  I've  got  the  picture 
for  you,  havn't  I  ?  " 

"  Just  exactly,"  replied  old  Ben. 

*'  Well,  then,  it  was  a  long  pull ;  and  that  reminds  me 
that  I'll  have  a  long  pull  now,  so  hand  me  the  porter, 
messmate."  My  father  took  a  tremendous  long  pull  at  the 
pewter,  and  then  handing  it  to  Ben,  he  recommenced. 

"We  were  soon  within  gun-shot ;  and  they  turned  their 
heads  towards  us,  and  blazed  away  :  very  pretty  shot  they 
fired,  for  they  cut  away  three  of  our  starboard  oars,  before 
we  were  near  enough  to  return  the  fire  with  our  small  gun. 
However,  the  second  pinnace  and  cutters  came  up,  and 
shared  the  shot  with  us ;  and  at  last  the  old  fat  launch 
came  grunting  along,  for  all  the  world  like  an  old  boar, 
pitching  into  them  round  and  grape.  Now  the  first  lieu- 
tenant was  in  the  launch,  and,  of  course,  commanded,  and  he 
ordered  the  boats  to  separate  more,  which  was  very  right, 
as  it  divided  the  shot  ;  and  then  he  passed  the  word,  that 
when  he  sounded  the  bugle,  we  were  all  to  pull  to  the  head- 
most gun-boat  and  board  her.  D'ye  understand,  messmate  ? " 

*'  Perfectly,"  replied  Ben,  taking  his  pipe  out  to  reply. 

"  Well,  then,  just  hand  me  the  pot."  My  father  drained 
it  this  time,  and  told  me  to  go  for  another. 

**  Then  I  shall  lose  the  story,"  replied  I. 


Poor  Jack  25 

**No,  boy,  you  won't,"  replied  Ben ;  "I'll  answer  for  it 
your  father  will  heave-to  till  you  come  back." 

"  So  I  will,  Jack,"  replied  my  father  j  and  having  with 
every  expedition  executed  my  task,  my  father  then  con- 
tinued— 

"  Well,  there  we  all  were,  waiting  for  the  bugle,  each 
boat  creeping  on  a  little  every  moment,  so  as  to  have  a  fair 
start,  as  they  do  in  a  race ;  when  at  last  the  signal  was 
given,  and  away  we  all  went  like  smoke,  with  our  oars 
bending  double.  The  first  pinnace  reached  the  gun-boat 
first ;  then  the  cutters  banged  alongside  of  her, — all  three 
of  us  to  windward, — while  the  second  pinnace  and  launch 
took  her  to  leeward.  There's  not  much  climbing  in  getting 
on  board  of  a  gun-boat ;  indeed,  we  were  at  it  before 
we  were  out  of  the  boat,  for  the  Frenchmen  had  pikes  as 
long  as  the  spanker  boom  ;  but  we  soon  got  inside  of  their 
points,  and  came  to  close  work.  They  stood  a  good 
tussle,  I  will  say  that,  and  so  they  always  do ;  we  may 
laugh  at  'em,  and  call  'em  Johnny  Crapows,  but  they  are  a 
right  brave  nation,  if  they  ar'n't  good  seamen ;  but  that  I 
reckon's  the  fault  of  their  lingo,  for  it's  too  noisy  to  carry 
on  duty  well  with,  and  so  they  never  will  be  sailors  till 
they  lam  English." 

"I  never  heard  them  carry  on  duty  in  French,"  said 
Ben ;  "  it  quite  beats  my  comprehension  how  they  can  do 
it  at  all." 

"Well,  I  have,"  replied  my  father;  "and  every  word 
they  use  is  as  long  as  the  main-top  bowling  ;  and  the  mast 
is  over  the  side  before  they  can  get  them  out.  Why,  would 
you  believe  it  ?  I  once  asked  one  of  those  fellows  what  he 
called  the  fore-mast  in  his  language ;  and  what  d'ye  think 
he  said  ?  Why,  I'm  blowed  if  he  didn't  call  it  a  '  Mar- 
darty-marng '  (and  that's  the  only  bit  of  French  I  know)  -, 
but  how  is  it  possible  to  work  a  ship  in  such  gibberish  ?  " 

"  Quite  unpossible,"  replied  Ben. 

"  Well,  as  I've  yawed  a  little  out  of  my  course,  suppose 
we  have  another  swig  before  I  takes  a  fresh  departure  ? " 

After  they  had  both  drank,  my  father  proceeded — 


26  Poor  Jack 

"  Well,  messmate,  I  was  on  the  gunnel  as  soon  as  the 
others ;  and  a  sword  came  down  upon  me  like  a  flash  of 
lightning.  I  had  just  time  to  lift  my  cutlass,  and  save  my 
head  ;  and  then  I  found  that  it  was  the  sword  of  the  French 
lieutenant,  who  commanded  the  gun-boat.  He  was  a  tall, 
clean-built  chap,  with  curls  hanging  down  like  a  poodle 
dog's — every  curl  not  thicker  than  a  rope  yarn,  and  mayhap 
a  thousand  of  them, — and  he  quite  foamed  at  the  mouth 
(that's  another  fault  in  these  Frenchmen, — they  don't  take 
things  coolly,  but  puts  themselves  in  a  passion  about 
nothing)  :  so  thinks  I  to  myself,  it  won't  do  for  you  to  go 
on  chopping  at  that  rate  ;  for  when  I  fended  off,  he  made 
my  whole  hand  tingle  with  the  force  of  his  blow  ;  so  I 
darts  at  him,  and  drives  the  hilt  of  my  cutlass  right  into  his 
mouth  ;  and  he  fell,  and  his  own  men  trod  him  under  foot ; 
and  on  we  went,  hammer  and  tongs.  By  this  time  the 
boarding  of  the  launch  and  pinnace  to  leeward,  for  they 
could  not  get  up  as  soon  as  we  did,  created  a  divarsion,  and 
bothered  the  Frenchman,  who  hardly  knew  which  way  to 
turn  :  however,  as  there  were  more  of  our  men  on  the 
other  side,  they  most  on  'em  faced  about ;  and  the  French 
officer  was  then  able  to  get  on  his  knees  again ;  and  while 
I  was  busy,  and  did  not  see  him,  he  just  gave  me  this  cut 
across  the  figure-head,  which  don't  add  to  my  beauty  any- 
how. Well,  it  was  cut  for  cut,  messmate  j  I  just  took  one 
look  at  the  beggar,  and  I  drove  my  cutlass  into  his  skull, 
just  as  he  was  rising  up  5  and  he  never  rose  again. — That's 
my  story." 

"  I  suppose  you  took  the  craft  ? " 

**  Yes ;  and  her  consort  too.  But  many  lost  the 
number  of  their  mess ;  and  I  lost  all  my  beauty. — Just 
hand  me  the  'baccy,  messmate ;  and,  Jack,  go  for  the 
next  pot  of  beer." 

I  found  them  both  smoking  in  silence  when  I  returned  ; 
but,  after  a  few  minutes,  my  father  said,  "  Messmate,  as 
I  have  told  you  how  I  got  this  chalk,  suppose  you  tell 
me  in  return  how  you  got  that  nose  of  yours  fixed  so 
hard  a  starboard  ?     That's  fair  play." 


Poor  Jack  27 

**  Exactly  so,"  replied  Ben.  **  Why,  d'ye  see  ?  I 
sarved  most  of  my  early  life  in  the  whaling  line.  I  was 
three  voyages  to  the  north ;  but  taking  the  black  whale 
counts  for  nothing ;  you  must  go  south  arter  the  sper- 
macitty,  if  you  wish  to  see  sport." 

"I  never  was  in  that  line,"  replied  my  father;  "but 
I've  heard  fellows  spin  the  devil's  own  yarns  about  it." 

"  And  so  they  may,  and  tell  the  truth,  that's  sartain, 
shipmate.  You  see,  the  sparmacitty  don't  take  the  harpoon 
quite  so  quietly  as  the  black  whale  does  ;  he  fights  hard 
to  the  last,  and  sometimes  is  very  free  with  his  jaws. 
The  very  large  ones  are  the  most  easy  to  kill ;  so  we 
always  look  out  for  them,  when  we  can,  as  they  give 
less  trouble,  and  more  oil :  the  most  dangerous  are  the 
half-grown,  which  we  call  "  forty-barrel  bulls,"  as  that's 
about  what  oil  we  get  out  of  them." 

"  Well,"  said  my  father,  "  I'm  blessed  if  ever  I  knew 
whales  were  called  bulls,  before  this  night." 

**  Yes,  that's  our  term,"  replied  Ben,  "and  now  to  my 
story.  We  were  down  off  the  coast  of  Japan ;  when, 
about  one  hour  after  daybreak,  the  man  looking  out  at 
the  mast-head  gave  the  usual  word  when  he  sees  a  whale 
blowing,  — '  There  she  spouts.'  And  this  he  repeats 
every  time  the  fish  rises.  We  had  a  clean  hold  at  the 
time,  for  we  had  but  just  come  to  our  fishing-ground, 
and  we  were  mighty  eager.  The  boats  were  down  in 
a  jiffy,  and  away  we  pulled.  We  were  within  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  of  the  whale,  when,  to  our  disappointment,  he 
peaked  his  flukes " 

"  What's  that,  messmate  ? "  inquired  my  father. 

"  Why,  you  see,  it's  the  right  term  after  all,  for  the 
tail  of  sparmacitty  is  like  the  flukes  of  an  anchor  ;  and, 
of  course,  now  you  understand  me." 

"  Yes,  you  mean  to  say  he  went  down,  I  suppose." 

**  Of  course ;  for  how  could  he  go  down  head  foremost, 
without  peaking  his  tail  in  the  air  ?  " 

"  One  lives  and  larns  as  long  as  one  lives,"  observed 
my  father.     "  Heave  ahead  again,  old  boy." 


28  Poor  Jack 

"  Well,  as  you  can't  know  what  you  hav'n't  heard  any- 
thing about,  I  must  now  tell  you  that  these  animals  be 
as  regular  as  the  bells  in  a  man-of-war ;  and  whenever 
they  goes  down  to  feed,  they  always  stays  exactly  about 
the  time  allowed  for  dinner  in  a  comfortable  ship ;  that 
is,  seventy  minutes  exactly.  An  hour,  you  see,  is  the 
regular  time  allowed  j  and  the  other  ten  minutes  are  by 
favour  of  the  officer  of  the  watch,  or  first  lieutenant.  We 
knew  that  we  must  wait  that  time  for  him,  so  we  tossed 
up  our  oars,  and  laid  by." 

"  I  suppose  them  sparmacitty  chaps  have  a  watch  in  their 
pockets,"  said  my  father,  smiling. 

"It's  a  true  bill,  nevertheless,  messmate,  and  they  never 
alter :  how  and  why  they  keep  to  their  time,  the  Lord  who 
gave  them  the  sense  to  do  so  only  knows.  It  is  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  deep,  which  they  only  who  go  on  the  great 
waters  can  bear  witness  to." 

"  It  beats  my  comprehension  quite  entirely,"  replied  my 
father  j  "  and  yet  I  have  seen  animals  with  a  great  deal  of 
sense.  In  one  ship,  we  had  a  sheep  who  would  chew 
tobacco  and  drink  grog  ; — now,  go  head  again." 

"  Well,  we  had  waited  about  half  a  hour,  when  we  saw 
a  whiff  at  the  mast-head  of  the  ship  ;  we  knew  that  it  was 
to  direct  our  attention  to  some  other  point,  so  we  looked 
round  the  horizon,  and  perceived  that  there  was  a  '  school ' 
of  young  bulls,  about  three  miles  from  us.  We  were  four 
boats  in  all ;  and  the  first  mate  desired  my  boat  and  another 
to  go  in  chase  of  them,  while  he  remained  with  the  other 
two,  for  this  old  whale  to  come  up  again.  Well,  off  we 
went,  and  soon  came  up  with  the  school :  they  are  the  most 
awkward  part  of  whale  fishing  j  for  they  are  savage,  and, 
moreover,  easily  '  gallied,'  that  is,  frightened.  I  picked  out 
one,  and  tried  to  come  up  with  him ;  but  he  was  very  shy, 
and  at  last  he  raised  his  head  clean  out  of  the  water,  and 
set  off  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  an  hour  ;  this  showed  that 
he  was  aware  of  danger.  I  had  just  thought  of  giving  him 
up,  and  trying  for  another,  when  he  suddenly  turned  round, 
and  came  right  towards  the  boats.     That  we  knew  meant 


Poor  Jack  29 

mischief;  but,  in  coming  towards  us,  he  passed  close  to 
the  other  boat,  and  the  steersman  gave  him  the  harpoon 
right  well  into  him.  This  made  him  more  savage,  and  he 
stood  right  for  my  boat,  ploughing  up  the  sea  as  he  rushed 
on.  I  was  all  ready  in  the  bow  with  the  harpoon,  and  the 
men  were  all  ready  with  their  oars  to  pull  back,  so  as  to 
keep  clear  of  him.  On  he  came,  and  when  his  snout  was 
within  six  feet  of  us,  we  pulled  sharp  across  him ;  and  as  we 
went  from  him,  I  gave  him  the  harpoon  deep  into  the  fin. 
*  Starn  all ! '  was  the  cry  as  usual,  that  we  might  be  clear 
of  him.  He  *  sounded '  immediately,  that  is,  down  he  went, 
head  foremost,  which  was  what  we  were  afraid  of,  for  you 
see  we  had  only  two  hundred  fathoms  of  line  in  each  boat ; 
and  having  both  harpoons  in  him,  we  could  not  bend  one 
to  the  other,  in  case  he  *  sounded '  deep,  for  sometimes 
they  will  go  down  right  perpendicular,  and  take  four  lines, 
or  eight  hundred  fathoms  with  them ;  so  we  expected  that 
we  should  this  time  lose  the  whale  as  well  as  our  lines,  for 
when  they  were  run  out,  we  must  either  cut,  or  go  down 
with  him.  Well,  the  lines  ran  out  so  swift,  that  we  poured 
water  on  them  that  they  might  not  fire — and  we  thought 
that  it  was  all  over,  for  the  lines  were  two-thirds  out,  and 
he  was  going  down  as  fast  as  ever,  when  all  of  a  sudden 
he  stopped.  "We  were  hauling  in  the  slack  lines,  when  we 
saw  him  rise  again,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off.  It  was 
a  hurrah,  for  we  now  thought  that  we  had  him.  Off  he 
set  with  his  nose  up,  right  in  the  wind's  eye,  towing  the 
two  boats  at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  an  hour ;  our  stems 
cleaving  through  the  sea,  and  throwing  off  the  water  like  a 
plume  of  feathers  on  each  side  of  the  bows,  while  the  sun's 
rays  pierced  through  the  spray  and  formed  bright  rain- 
bows. We  hoped  soon  to  tire  him,  and  to  be  able  to  haul 
in  upon  our  lines,  so  as  to  get  near  enough  to  give  him  our 
lances ;  but  that  was  only  hope,  as  you'll  hear.  Of  a  sud- 
den, he  stopped,  turned  round,  and  made  right  for  us,  with 
his  jaws  open  ;  then,  all  we  had  to  do  was  to  baulk  him, 
and  give  him  the  lance.  He  did  not  seem  to  have  made  up 
his  mind  which  boat  he  would  attack — we  were  pretty  near 


3©  Poor  Jack 

together,  and  he  yawed  at  one,  and  then  at  the  other.  At 
last  he  made  right  for  the  other  boat,  and  the  boatsetter 
dodged  him  very  cleverly,  while  we  pulled  up  to  him,  and 
I  put  the  lance  up  to  the  stock  into  his  side.  He  made  a 
plunge  as  if  he  were  going  to  '  sound '  again ;  and  as  he 
did  so,  with  his  flukes  he  threw  our  boat  into  the  air,  a 
matter  of  twenty  feet,  cutting  it  clean  in  half,  and  one  of 
the  boat's  thwarts  came  right  athwart  of  my  nose,  and  it 
never  has  been  straight  since.  So  now  you  have  it,  mess- 
mate ;  and  I  shouldn't  mind  if  you  passed  the  beer  this 
way,  for  this  long  yarn  has  made  my  throat  somewhat 
dry." 

"When  you've  had  your  swig,  old  chap,  you  may  as 
well  tell  us  how  the  matter  ended,"  observed  my  father. 

"  Why,  it  just  ended  in  our  losing  the  whale  in  the 
first  place,  and  the  boat  with  her  gear  in  the  second. 
We  were  picked  up  by  the  other  boat,  and  there  was  no 
time  to  be  lost,  for  the  sharks  were  brought  together 
by  the  scent  of  the  whale's  blood ;  the  whale  sounded 
again,  and  we  were  obliged  to  cut  the  line,  and  return 
on  board.  But  God  bless  you,  messmate,  I  could  tell 
you  many  a  longer  yarn  than  that,  and  mayhap  I  shall 
some  day  or  another." 

"Well,  I  hope  you  will,"  replied  my  father;  "but 
your  fishing  story  has  put  me  in  mind  of  rather  a  curious 
fish,  caught  by  a  lad  on  board  of  a  man-of-war :  and 
suppose  I  finish  what's  at  the  bottom  of  this  here  pot ; 
send  Jack  for  another,  and  when  he  comes  back,  I'll  tell 
you  all  about  it." 

"  There's  nothing  gives  me  more  satisfaction,"  replied 
Ben,  "  than  to  pass  away  the  evening  in  a  sober,  quiet 
way,  as  we  are  doing  now,  telling  and  listening  to  long 
yarns. — A' n't  you  sleepy.  Jack  ? " 

"Oh!  no,"  replied  I,  "not  a  bit.  I'll  run  for  the 
porter  j  and  don't  let  father  begin  till  I  come  back,  Ben. 
The  house  will  be  shut  up  soon :  shall  I  get  more  than 
a  pot .? " 

"  Yes,  Jack ;    but  not  more  beer,"  replied  my  father, 


Poor  Jack  31 

putting  some  silver  into  my  hand ;  "  get  one  pot  of  beer, 
and  a  bottle  of  rum  ?  We'll  have  that  by  way  of  a  night- 
cap, old  boy." 

I  ran  for  the  beer  and  liquor,  and  was  soon  back.  My 
father  and  Ben  refilled  their  pipes,  and  the  former  com- 
menced as  follows : — 

'*  When  I  was  quarter-master  on  board  of  the  Melpomene, 
we  had  an  old  chap  for  first  lieutenant  whose  name  was 
Fletcher.  He  was  a  kind-hearted  man  enough,  as  he 
never  worried  the  ship's  company  when  there  was  no 
occasion ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  was  what  you  call 
a  great  stickler  for  duty — made  no  allowances  for  neglect 
or  disobedience  of  orders,  although  he  would  wink  at  any 
little  sky-larking,  walking  aft,  shutting  his  eyes,  and  pre- 
tending not  to  see  or  hear  it.  His  usual  phrase  was, 
*  My  man,  you've  got  your  duty  to  do,  and  I've  got  mine.' 
And  this  he  repeated  fifty  times  a  day ;  so  at  last  he 
went  by  the  name  of  *  Old  Duty.'  I  think  I  see  him 
now,  walking  up  and  down  with  his  spy-glass  under  his 
left  arm,  and  the  hand  of  the  other  pushed  into  his  breast, 
as  if  he  were  fumbling  for  a  flea.  His  hat  was  always 
split  and  worn  in  the  front,  from  constantly  taking  it  off, 
instead  of  touching  it,  when  he  came  on  the  quarter-deck ; 
and,  as  soon  as  it  was  too  far  gone  in  front  to  raise  the 
purchase  off  his  head,  he  used  to  shift  it  end  for  end, 
bringing  the  back  part  in  front,  and  then  he  would  wear 
it,  until,  as  the  Yankees  say,  it  was  in  '  taterations  alto- 
gether ; '  and  he  was  forced  to  bend  a  new  one. 

"  Now,  we  had  a  boy  on  board,  who  entered  one  day 
when  the  captain  landed  at  Torquay  to  dine  with  a  friend. 
His  name  was  Jack  Jervis  :  his  father  and  his  whole  tribe 
had  been  fishermen  for  as  long  as  could  be  remembered ; 
and  Jack  himself  had  been  drafted  out  of  his  cradle  into 
a  coble :  and  there  he  had  continued  day  and  night,  from 
one  year's  end  to  another,  helping  his  father  to  fish, — so, 
you  see,  it  had  become  second  nature  to  him ;  and,  after 
he  came  on  board,  his  liking  for  his  former  calling  still 
remained  with  him,  and  he  never  was  so  happy  as  when 


32  Poor  Jack 

his  line  was  overboard,  or  when  he  was  snooding  a  hook 
in  some  corner  or  another.  He  went  by  the  name  of 
Jack  the  Fisherman ;  and  a  smart,  active,  willing  lad  he 
was,  sure  enough. 

"  Now,  there  was  a  little  difficulty  between  Old  Duty 
and  Jack  the  Fisherman.  Old  Duty  would  not  allow  the 
lines  to  be  overboard  when  the  ship  was  in  harbour ;  as 
he  said  it  was  untidy  in  appearance,  and  that  there  was 
always  plenty  of  work,  and  no  time  for  fishing.  So  Jack 
hadn't  pulled  up  his  line  ten  or  a  dozen  times,  before  he 
was  pulled  up  himself.  '  Whose  line's  that  ? '  says  Old 
Duty.  '  Mine,  sir,'  says  Jack,  touching  his  hat.  '  I  don't 
allow  fishing,  young  man,'  said  the  first  lieutenant.  '  You 
understand  me  ? — I  don't  allow  fishing.  You've  your 
duty  to  do,  sir,  and  I've  got  mine.' 

"  Jack,  who  had  only  been  two  or  three  days  on  board, 
and  who,  I  believe,  would  never  have  entered,  had  he 
known  that  there  would  have  been  such  a  *  nveto^  as  the 
boatswain  used  to  call  it,  looked  quite  astonished,  and 
said — 

"  *  What,  mayn't  I  fish,  sir  ? ' 

*'  *  No,  my  man,  you  must  not  fish  without  permission ; 
and  that  I  never  give  in  harbour.  If  I  catch  you  fishing 
again,  you  get  two  dozen  at  the  gun ;  recollect  that. 
You've  got  your  duty  to  do,  and  I've  got  mine.' 

"  Well,  Jack  could  not  give  up  his  habit,  so  he  used  to 
fish  at  night,  and  all  night  long,  out  of  the  fore-chains  ; 
but  it  so  happened  that  the  ship's  corporal  caught  Jack  in 
the  middle  watch,  and  reports  him  to  the  first  lieutenant. 

*'  *  So,  you've  been  fishing  again,  sir,'  says  Old  Duty. 
*  No,  sir,'  replied  Jack,  '  not  fishing, — only  laying  night 
lines.' 

" '  Oh  !  that's  it,'  replied  the  first  lieutenant ;  *  only 
laying  night  lines!    Pray,  what's  the  difference?'    'Please, 

sir,'  said  Jack,  touching  his  hat,  '  the  difference  is that 

it's  not  the  same  thing.' 

'"Well,  sir,  I  see  but  one  difference,  and  I'll  meet  it 
accordingly.     You've  your  duty  to  do,  and  I've  got  mine.' 


Poor  Jack  33 

**  The  boys'  heads  and  ears  having  been  pulled  about  and 
examined  by  the  master-at-arms,  they  were  dismissed ; 
and  Jack  thought  that  he  had  got  off, — but  he  was 
mistaken. 

**  After  the  hammocks  had  been  piped  down,  and  it  was 
dark,  the  boys  were  ordered  up  by  the  master-at-arms  ; 
Jack  was  seized  to  the  gun,  and  had  his  two  dozen. 
'  There,  sir,'  said  Old  Duty,  as  they  cast  the  seizings  off, 
*  if  fishing  at  night  is  not  fishing,  punishment  at  night  is 
not  punishment.  Now  we're  quits.  You've  your  duty  to 
do,  and  I've  got  mine.' 

"  I  don't  think  that  Jack  perceived  any  more  difference 
in  the  two  dozen  at  night-time  than  the  first  lieutenant  did 
between  day  and  night  fishing  ;  however,  Jack  did  not  fish 
for  some  time  afterwards.  But  it  so  happened,  that  the 
first  lieutenant  was  asked  on  shore  to  dine  with  the  port- 
admiral  ;  and,  although  he  seldom  left  the  ship,  he  could 
not  refuse  such  a  compliment,  and  so  he  went.  As  soon 
as  it  was  dark,  Jack  thought  his  absence  too  good  an 
opportunity  not  to  have  a  fish ;  so  he  goes  into  the  mizen- 
chains,  and  drops  his  line.  Well,  he  fished  (but  I  don't 
know  whether  he  caught  any)  till  the  boat  was  hailed  in 
which  the  first  lieutenant  was  coming  on  board,  and  then 
Jack  thought  it  time  to  haul  in  his  line  ;  but,  just  at  that 
moment,  there  was  a  jerk ;  and  Jack,  who  knew  that  a 
fish  was  at  the  bait,  could  not  for  the  life  of  him  pull  up 
his  line — for,  you  see,  he  was  a  fisherman  heart  and  soul ; 
so  Jack  trusted  to  Providence  and  the  first  lieutenant's 
going  down  below  as  soon  as  he  came  on  deck. 

**Now,  you  see,  the  ship  was  lying  at  the  time  'cross 
the  tide,  the  wind  blowing  against  the  current :  the  star- 
board side  (being  to  leeward,  as  to  the  wind,  but  to  wind- 
ward, as  to  the  tide)  had  been  cleared  away  and  manned 
for  the  boat,  and  Jack  made  sure  that  the  first  lieutenant 
would  pull  to  that  side ;  but  he  was  mistaken.  Whether 
it  was  that  the  first  lieutenant  wished  to  have  a  look  round 
the  ship  or  not,  I  do  not  know,  but  he  pulled  across  the 
bows,  and  went  round  the  stern,  passing  the  larboard  side : 
P.J.  c 


34  Pooif  Jack 

as  he  passed,  Jack  shrunk  under  the  lee  of  the  dead  eyes 
and  lanyards,  hoping  he  might  not  be  seen ;  but  the  first 
lieutenant,  having  the  clear  horizon  on  the  other  side,  per- 
ceived the  line  which  Jack  had  half-hauled  up,  and,  having 
an  eye  like  a  cat,  makes  out  Jack  also. 

**  *  I  see  you,  sir — I  see  you,  Mr  Jervis,  fishing  again, 
sir.  Very  well,'  cried  the  first  lieutenant,  from  the  stern- 
sheets  of  the  boat,  as  he  passed  by.  '  You've  your  duty 
to  do,  and  I've  got  mine.'  *  That's  as  good  as  two  dozen 
to-morrow  morning  at  muster,'  thought  Jack,  who  cursed 
his  luck,  and,  in  a  very  melancholy  mood,  began  to  haul 
up  his  line,  which,  as  soon  as  he  had  been  discovered,  he 
had  let  go  down  to  the  bottom  again.  Now,  it  so 
happened,  that,  as  Old  Duty  went  up  the  other  side,  his 
foot  slipped  J  and,  how  it  was,  I  can't  tell,  for  they  say  he 
wasn't  the  least  groggy,  but  down  he  fell,  between  the 
boat's  gunnel  and  the  ship's  side,  just  like  a  deep  sea  lead, 
and  disappeared.  There  being  so  few  men  on  deck,  there 
was  not  much  of  a  bustle — there  was  a  dive  or  two  for  him 
with  the  boat-hook,  but  all  in  vain — Old  Duty  was  gone. 

'*  In  the  meantime,  Jack  on  the  other  side  was  slowly 
hauling  up  his  line;  but  he  had  not  got  it  half  way  up 
when  he  felt  a  heavy  strain,  and  he  thought  that  a  large 
conger  eel  had  followed  the  bait  up,  as  they  do  sometimes, 
and  he  hauled  and  hauled  with  all  his  might.  At  last, 
who  should  he  bring  to  the  surface  of  the  water  but  Old 
Duty,  who  had  been  sucked  under  the  ship's  bottom  by 
the  tide,  and  had  been  hooked  by  Jack,  as  he  was  pulling 
up.  When  Jack  saw  it  was  the  first  lieutenant,  as  he  told 
me,  his  first  idea  was  to  let  him  down  again ;  but  that  was 
only  for  a  moment.  The  words  of  the  first  lieutenant  still 
rang  in  his  ears,  *  You've  your  duty  to  do,  and  I've  got 
mine ' — so  Jack  did  his  duty.  He  hollows  out  that  he  had 
caught  Old  Duty;  and  the  boat  shifted  round  and  took 
him  on  board.  The  old  fellow  was  quite  senseless  ;  but, 
as  he  had  been  but  a  short  time  in  the  water,  he  was  put 
to  bed,  and  resuscitated  by  the  surgeon.  The  next 
morning  he   was   all  just  as   if  nothing   had  happened, 


Poor  Jack  ^5 

-walking  the  deck  with  his  right  hand  in  his  breast,  and  his 
spy-glass  under  his  left  arm,  as  usual. 

"Well,  we  all  told  Jack  that  he  was  safe  this  time,  but 
Jack  seemed  to  think  otherwise.  He  shook  his  head — and 
now  you'll  learn  who  was  right. 

*'  When  the  boys  were  all  mustered  next  morning, 
towing  a  line,  and  holding  out  their  paws,  the  first 
lieutenant  turns  round,  and  says,  *  Jervis,  you  were  fishing 
last  night,  against  my  orders.'  '  Yes,  sir,'  said  Jervis, 
*  and  I  catched  a  first  lieutenant ; '  for  Jack  had  a  good 
deal  of  fun  in  him.  *  Yes,  sir,  and  queer  fishes  they  are 
sometimes,'  replies  Old  Duty ;  *  but  you  forget  that  you 
have  also  catched  two  dozen.  You  have  your  duty  to  do, 
and  I've  got  mine.' 

"Well,  as  you  may  suppose,  there  were  many  of  us 
looking  abaft,  just  to  see  what  would  take  place,  and  were 
not  a  little  astonished  at  the  idea  of  his  rewarding  Jack 
with  two  dozen  for  saving  his  life ;  however,  of  course, 
we  were  mum.  Jack  was  tied  up;  and  the  first  lieutenant 
whispered  a  word  into  the  ear  of  his  master-at-arms,  who 
again  whispered  to  Williams,  the  boatswain's  mate ;  and 
the  effect  of  that  whisper  was,  that  the  cat  was  laid  on 
so  lightly  that  Jack  hardly  felt  it — so  lightly,  indeed,  that 
the  first  lieutenant  walked  away  aft,  that  he  might  not 
appear  to  be  a  party  in  the  consarn,  and  Jack  was  cast  off 
without  having  half  a  tear  in  either  eye,  when  Old  Duty 
"went  up  to  him. 

**  *  You  fished  last  night  against  orders,  and  therefore 
you  have  received  your  punishment.  You  saved  my  life 
last  night,  and  therefore  it  is  my  duty  to  reward  you.  I 
could  not  let  you  off  this  punishment,  as  it  would  be 
making  the  King  pay  you  for  me,  instead  of  my  paying 
you  myself.  I'm  not  a  rich  man,  but  here's  ten  guineas 
for  your  purse,  and  here's  my  gold  watch.  Spend  the 
iirst  usefully,  and  keep  the  other : — and  observe.  Jack 
Jervis,  if  ever  you  are  again  caught  fishing  in  harbour, 
you  will  as  surely  get  two  dozen  for  your  pains,  you've 
your  duty  to  do,  and  I've  got  mineJ'  " 


^6  Poor  Jack 

"Well,  messmate,  that's  a  queer  story  altogether,  and 
queerer  fellows  in  it.  I  wouldn't  have  minded  sailing 
with  that  Old  Duty.     Suppose  we  drink  his  health." 

"With  all  my  heart ;  for  you're  right,  old  chap :  when 
we  knows  what  we  are  to  expect,  we're  always  ready  to 
meet  it ;  but  some  officers  I've  sailed  with  shift  about  like 
a  dog-vane,  and  there's  no  knowing  how  to  meet  them. 

I  recollect but  I  say.  Jack,  suppose  you  turn  in — your 

eyes  are  winking  and  blinking  like  an  owl's  in  the  sunshine. 
You're  tired,  boy,  so  go  to  bed.  We  sha'n't  tell  any  more 
yarns  to-night." 

I  was  very  tired,  indeed,  and  could  not  keep  my  eyes 
open  any  longer  ;  so  I  went  upstairs,  and  was  asleep 
almost  as  soon  as  I  laid  my  head  upon  the  pillow. 


Chapter  VII 

In  which  my  mother  gives  my  father  a  scriptural  lesson.  My  father's  grief 
at  parting  with  an  old  friend.  He  expostulates  with  my  mother  and  quits 
the  house. 

I  WOKE  early  the  next  morning  ;  for  the  whole  night  I  had 
been  restless,  and  dreaming  of  the  unusual  occurrences  of 
the  day  before.  It  was  just  daylight,  and  I  was  recalling 
what  had  passed,  and  wondering  what  had  become  of  my 
father,  when  I  heard  a  noise  in  my  mother's  room.  I 
listened, — the  door  opened,  and  she  went  downstairs. 

This  surprised  me ;  and  being  conscious,  even  at  my  age, 
of  the  vindictive  temper  shown  by  my  mother  upon  every 
occasion,  and,  anxious  to  know  where  my  father  was,  I 
could  not  remain  in  bed  ;  I  put  on  my  trousers,  and  crept 
softly  down  stairs  without  my  shoes.  The  door  of  the 
front  room  was  ajar,  and  I  looked  in.  The  light  was  dimly 
peering  through  the  window  which  pointed  to  the  alley  ; 
the  table  was  covered  with  the  empty  pipes,  tobacco,  and 
large  pools  of  beer  and  liquor  which  had  been  spilt  on  it  j 
the  sofa  was  empty,  and   my  father,  who  evidently  had 


Poor  Jack  37 

become  deeply  intoxicated  the  night  before,  was  lying  on 
the  sanded  floor,  with  his  face  downwards ;  my  mother,  in 
her  short  dressing-gown  and  flannel  petticoat,  was  standing 
over  him,  her  teeth  set,  her  fists  clenched,  and  arms 
raised ;  with  a  dire  expression  of  revenge  in  her  counten- 
ance. I  thought  at  the  time  that  I  never  saw  her  look  so 
ugly — I  may  say,  so  horrid ;  even  now,  her  expression  at 
that  moment  is  not  eflTaced  from  my  memory.  After  a  few 
minutes,  she  knelt  down,  and  put  her  ear  close  to  his  head, 
as  if  to  ascertain  whether  he  was  in  a  sound  sleep :  she 
then  took  a  knife  from  off  the  table,  felt  the  edge,  looked 
at  my  prostrate  father,  and  raised  it.  I  would  have 
screamed,  but  my  tongue  was  glued  to  my  lips  with 
horror.  She  appeared  to  reflect ;  and,  after  a  time,  laid 
the  knife  down  on  the  table,  put  the  palm  of  her  hand  up 
to  her  forehead,  and  then  a  smile  gleamed  over  her  moody 
features.  "  Yes,  if  he  murders  me — but  they  will  be 
better,"  muttered  she  at  last.  She  went  to  the  cupboard, 
took  out  a  large  pair  of  scissors,  and,  kneeling  down  by 
my  father,  commenced  severing  his  long  pigtail  from 
his  head.  My  father  was  too  sound  asleep  to  be  roused : 
in  a  minute  the  tail  was  off  and  my  mother  rose  up,  holding 
it,  with  an  expression  of  the  utmost  contempt,  between  her 
finger  and  thumb.  She  then  very  softly  laid  it  down  by 
his  side,  and  replaced  the  scissors  in  the  cupboard  :  as  I 
expected  that  she  would  go  upstairs  again,  I  concealed  my- 
self in  the  back-kitchen.  I  was  correct  in  my  supposition. 
A  moment  afterwards  I  heard  her  ascending  the  stairs,  and 
go  into  her  own  room. 

I  must  say  that  I  felt  indignant  at  this  conduct  of  my 
mother's,  as,  so  far  from  provocation,  she  had  hardly  re- 
ceived the  reward  of  previous  treachery.  I  believe,  how- 
ever, that,  like  most  people,  I  was  actuated  by  my  own 
feelings  towards  my  mother,  who  had  treated  me  so  un- 
kindly. I  thought  for  a  little  while — what  would  my 
mother  do  ?  She  would  hardly  remain  in  the  house,  to 
meet  the  wrath  of  my  father,  when  he  made  the  discovery. 
She  would  escape  him  :  this  I  had  no  wish  that  she  should 


o 


8  Poor  Jack 


do ;  so  I  went  softly  into  the  front  parlour,  atid  pushed 
my  father,  to  awake  him  :  for  some  time  this  was  useless — 
he  muttered  and  growled,  but  it  appeared  impossible  to 
rouse  him.  There  were  the  remains  of  a  jug  of  water  on 
the  table  ;  and,  as  I  had  seen  the  same  thing  done  before 
to  a  drunken  sailor,  I  took  the  jug,  and  poured  the  water 
softly  on  the  nape  of  his  neck.  In  a  minute  or  two  this 
had  the  effect  of  waking  him  ;  he  turned  over,  opened  his 
eyes,  and,  when  I  put  my  finger  to  my  lips  to  intimate 
silence,  he  looked  at  me  with  a  vacant  stare.  Time  pressed  ; 
I  heard  my  mother  moving  about  upstairs,  and  I  was  afraid 
that  she  would  leave  the  house  before  my  father  had  re- 
covered his  senses.  I  therefore  took  his  pigtail  from  the 
floor,  and  held  it  up  before  him.  This  appeared  to  surprise 
him  J  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  it  for  a  few  seconds,  and 
then,  as  if  at  last  suspecting  what  had  taken  place,  he  put 
his  hand  to  the  back  of  his  head,  and  found  no  pigtail  there. 
Suddenly  he  jumped  up  j  he  appeared  to  be  sobered  all  at 
once — he  caught  the  tail  out  of  my  hand,  looked  at  it,  felt 
convinced  of  his  loss,  threw  himself  down  on  the  sofa,  and 
wept  like  a  child. 

•*  I  saw  my  mother  do  it,  father,"  said  I,  whispering  in 
his  ear.  This  appeared  to  recall  him ;  he  raised  himself 
up,  wiped  his  eyes  with  the  back  of  his  hand,  ground  his 
teeth,  and  shook  his  head.  He  threw  his  tail  on  the  floor, 
and,  as  he  eyed  it,  a  deep  melancholy  spread  over  his 
countenance.  After  a  minute  or  two,  he  folded  his  arms, 
and  thus  lamented  over  it  : — 

*'  Well,  I  never  would  have  thought  it,  had  they  told 
me  that  you  and  I  should  have  parted  company.  Many, 
many  years  has  it  taken  you  to  grow  to  your  present 
length — often  have  you  been  handled,  often  have  you  been 
combed,  and  often  have  you  been  tied.  Many's  the  eel 
has  been  skinned  for  your  sarvice,  and  many's  the  yard 
of  ribbon  which  you  have  cost  me — you  have  been  the 
envy  of  my  shipmates,  the  fancy  of  the  women,  and  the 
pride  of  poor  Tom  Saunders.  I  thought  we  should  never 
have  parted  on  'arth,  and,  if  so  be  my  sins  were  forgiven 


Poor  Jack  39 

me,  and  I  could  show  a  fair  log,  that  I  might  be  permitted 
to  wear  you  in  the  world  which  is  to  come.  But  there 
you  are — parted  for  all  the  world  like  a  limb  shot  off  in 
action,  never  to  be  spliced  again.  What  am  I  to  say  when 
I  go  on  board  ?  I  shall  have  a  short  tale  to  tell,  instead 
of  a  long  tail  to  show.  And  the  wife  of  my  busum  to 
do  this !  Well,  I  married  too  high,  and  now  my  pride 
is  laid  low.  Jack,  never  marry  a  lady's  ladies'  maid ;  for 
it  appears  that  the  longer  the  names,  the  more  venomous 
the  cattle  be." 

Just  as  he  had  finished,  I  heard  my  mother  coming 
downstairs,  with  Virginia,  whom  she  had  taken  up  and 
dressed,  to  take  away  with  her.  **  Hush  !  "  I  heard  her 
softly  say  to  Virginia,  "  don't  speak,  dear,  or  you'll  wake 
your  naughty  father." 

She  had  hardly  said  this,  when  she  made  her  appear- 
ance, with  Virginia  on  one  arm,  and  a  large  bundle  on 
the  other.  But  as  soon  as  she  perceived  that  my  father 
was  awake,  and  cognisant  of  her  revenge,  she  uttered 
a  loud  scream,  dropped  Virginia  and  the  bundle,  and, 
running  upstairs  to  her  own  room,  locked  herself  in. 

Poor  little  Virginia  set  up  a  roar  at  this  very  unusual 
(and,  I  believe,  felonious)  act  of  child-dropping  on  the 
part  of  my  mother.  I  ran  to  her,  and  carried  her  to  the 
sofa  ;  while  my  father,  with  compressed  lips,  first  taking 
two  or  three  quarter-deck  strides  up  and  down  the  room, 
locked  the  street  door,  put  the  key  in  his  pocket,  and  then 
ascended  the  stairs  to  pay  a  visit  to  my  mother  who, 
I  believe,  would  very  willingly  have  been  "  not  at  home  :" 
but  some  people  are  importunate,  and  will  take  no  refusal ; 
and,  when  my  father  retired  three  or  four  steps  from  the 
door,  and,  with  a  sudden  run,  brought  the  whole  weight 
of  his  foot  to  bear  upon  it,  it  flew  open.  At  first,  my 
mother  was  not  visible :  my  father  thought  she  had 
escaped  -,  but  at  last  he  spied  her  legs  under  the  bed. 
Seizing  her  by  her  extremities,  he  dragged  her  out,  with- 
out any  regard  to  propriety,  until  he  had  her  into  the 
middle  of  the  room,  with  his  foot  upon  her.     What  a 


40  Poor  Jack 

situation  for  a  lady's  ladies'  maid  !  I  had  put  Virginia 
down  on  the  sofa,  and  crept  up  the  stairs,  to  see  what 
took  place.  My  father  and  mother  were  in  these  relative 
positions,  and  he  thus  addressed  her — 

*'  I  have  heard  say,  that  a  man  mustn't  thrash  his  wife 
with  anything  thicker  than  his  own  thumb.  That's  as 
may  be — and  I  do  recollect  when  the  first  lieutenant 
wanted  to  cut  off  the  men's  hair,  that  the  purser  told 
him  that  it  was  felony,  under  the  act  of  cutting  and 
maiming.  I  don't  know  whether  the  first  lieutenant 
would  have  made  a  felony  or  not ;  but  this  I'm  sartain 
of — he'd  have  made  a  mutiny.  You  desarve  no  mercy, 
and  you  shall  have  none.  This  pigtail  of  mine  shall  be 
what  I  shall  use  upon  you — and  if  the  colt  is  heavy, 
recollect  you  cut  it  for  yourself  j  and  as  you  may  not  be 
able  to  hear  what  I  say  by  the  time  I  have  done  with  you, 
I'll  just  tell  you  now.  I'll  point  the  end,  and  work  a 
mouse  on  this  pigtail  of  mine,  and  never  part  with  it.  Fll 
keep  it  for  your  own  particular  use,  and  for  nobody  else's  5 
and  as  sartain  as  I  come  back,  so  sartain  every  time  I  come, 
you  shall  have  a  taste  of  pigtail  without  chenving,  my  lady's 
ladies'  maid." 

Having  made  this  uncommon  long  speech,  to  which  my 
mother  offered  no  reply,  her  eyes  being  fixed  in  terror 
upon  the  brandished  tail,  which  was  nearly  as  thick  as 
her  own  arm,  my  father  proceeded  to  put  his  threats 
into  execution.  Blow  resounded  after  blow  ;  my  mother's 
cries  became  feebler  and  feebler,  until  at  last  she  appeared 
senseless.  Then  I  ran  to  my  father,  and  clinging  to  his 
leg,  cried,  "  Oh  !  father,  she's  dead  !  " 

This  observation  induced  him  to  leave  off.  He  looked 
at  my  mother's  face  ;  her  eyes  were  closed,  and  her  jaw 
had  fallen.  "Well,  she  has  had  enough  of  it,  this  time," 
said  my  father  after  a  pause — "maybe,  too  much  on  it. 
But  when  I  looks  at  this  tail  in  my  hand,  I  feel  as  if 
I  could  still  give  her  more.  And  if  she  be  dead,  I  think 
the  judge  would  not  hang  me,  if  I  showed  him  what 
I  have  lost.      I'd  rather  have  parted  with  an  arm  or  a 


Poor  Jack  41 

leg,  any  day  of  the  week.  There's  been  provocation 
enough,  at  all  events,  if  she  be  dead — a  saint  in  heaven 
couldn't  stand  it." 

During  these  remarks,  my  mother  gave  no  signs  of 
returning  animation,  and  at  last  my  father  became  seriously 
alarmed.  "Jack,"  said  he,  "I  must  cut  my  stick,  or  they 
may  put  me  into  limbo.  As  soon  as  I  have  cleared  out, 
do  you  run  for  a  doctor  to  look  at  your  mother ;  and  mind 
you  don't  forget  to  tell  that  old  chap,  who  was  boozing 
with  me  last  night,  everything  which  has  happened ;  and 
the  people  will  say,  come  what  will  on  it,  that  I  was 
aggravated  sufficient — and  Jack,  if  there  be  a  Crowner's 
Inquest,  mind  you  tell  the  truth.  You  know,  I  didn't 
want  to  kill  the  old  woman,  don't  you,  my  boy — for  didn't 
I  say  that  I'd  keep  the  tail  to  give  her  another  dose  when 
I  came  back  again  ? — that  proves  I  didn't  intend  that  she 
should  slip  her  wind,  you  know,  boy.  I  said  I'd  give  her 
another  dose,  you  know,  Jack — and,"  continued  my  father^ 
**  so  I  will,  if  I  finds  her  above  ground  when  I  comes  back 
again." 

My  father  then  went  downstairs.  Little  Virginia  had 
fallen  asleep  again  on  the  sofa ;  my  father  kissed  her  softly, 
shook  hands  with  me,  and  put  a  crown  in  my  hand.  He 
then  unlocked  the  door,  and,  thrusting  the  end  of  his 
pigtail  into  his  breast,  coiled  it,  as  it  were,  round  his  body, 
hastened  down  the  alley,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight. 


Chapter    VIII 

In  which  the  doctor  pays  a  visit  and  receives  no  fee ;  and  I  am  obliged  to 
work  very  hard  to  procure  myself  a  livelihood. 

I  DID  not  forget  my  father's  injunctions,  for  I  was  very 
much  frightened.  There  was  a  doctor  who  lived  half  way 
up  Church  Street,  a  short  distance  from  Fisher's  Alley. 
He  was  a  little  man  with  a  large  head,  sunk  down  between 
two  broad  shoulders — his  eyes  were  small  and  twinkling, 


42  Poor  Jack 

his  nose  snubbed,  his  pate  nearly  bald ;  but  on  the  sides  of 
his  head,  the  hair  was  long  and  flowing.  But  if  his 
shoulders  were  broad,  the  rest  of  his  body  was  not  in  the 
same  proportion — for  he  narrowed  as  he  descended,  his 
hips  being  very  small,  and  his  legs  as  thin  as  those  of  a 
goat.  His  real  name  was  Todpoole,  but  the  people 
invariably  called  him  Tadpole,  and  he  certainly  in  appear- 
ance somewhat  reminded  you  of  one.  He  was  a  facetious 
little  fellow,  and,  it  was  said,  very  clever  in  his  profession, 

"  Doctor  Tadpole,"  cried  I,  out  of  breath  with  running, 
"  come  quick — my  mother  is  very  bad  indeed." 

"  What's  the  matter  ? "  said  he,  peering  over  a  mortar 
in  which  he  was  rubbing  up  something  with  the  pestle. 
**  External  or  internal  ? " 

Although  I  did  not  know  what  he  meant,  I  replied — 
"  Both,  doctor,  and  a  great  deal  more  besides." 

•'  That's  bad  indeed,"  replied  Tadpole,  still  rubbing 
away. 

"  But  you  must  come  directly,"  cried  I.  "  Come  along 
—quick  !  " 

'■^Festina  lente,  good  boy — that's  Latin  for  hat  and  boots. 
— Tom,  are  my  boots  clean  ? " 

"  Ye'es,  sir,  replied  a  carroty-headed  boy,  whom  I  knew 
well. 

The  doctor  laid  down  his  pestle,  and  taking  his  seat  in  a 
chair,  began  very  leisurely  to  pull  on  his  boots,  whilst  I 
stamped  with  impatience. 

"  Now,  do  be  quick,  doctor — my  mother  will  be  dead." 

"  Jack,"  said  the  doctor,  grinning,  as  he  pulled  on  his 
second  boot,  "  people  don't  die  so  quick  before  the  doctor 
comes — it's  always  afterwards  : — however,  I'm  glad  to  see 
you  are  so  fond  of  your  mother.  —  Tom,  is  my  hat 
brushed  ? " 

**  Ye'es,  sir,"  replied  Tom,  bringing  the  doctor's  hat. 

"  Now  then.  Jack,  I'm  all  ready. — Tom,  mind  the  shop, 
and  don't  eat  the  stick  liquorice — d'ye  hear  ? " 

"  Ye'es,  sir,"  said  Tom,  with  a  grin  from  ear  to  ear. 

The   doctor  followed  me  very  quick,  for  he  thought 


Poor  Jack  43 

from  my  impatience  that  something  serious  must  be  the 
matter.  He  walked  up  to  my  mother's  room,  and  I 
hastened  to  open  the  door ;  when,  to  my  surprise,  I  found 
my  mother  standing  before  the  glass  arranging  her  hair. 

**Well!"  exclaimed  my  mother,  "this  is  very  pretty 
behaviour — forcing  your  way  into  a  lady's  room." 

The  doctor  stared,  and  so  did  I.  At  last  I  exclaimed, 
"  Well !  father  thought  he'd  killed  her." 

"  Yes,"  cried  my  mother,  "  and  he's  gone  away  with  it 
on  his  conscience,  that's  some  comfort  j — he  won't  come 
back  in  a  hurry — he  thinks  he  has  committed  murder,  the 
unfeeling  brute  ! — Well,  I've  had  my  revenge." 

And  as  she  twisted  up  her  hair,  my  mother  burst  out 
screaming — 

"  Little  Bopeep,  she  lost  her  sheep, 
And  couldn't  tell  where  to  find  him — 
She  found  him,  indeed,  but  it  made  her  heart  bleed, 
For  he  left  his  tail  behind  him." 

**Why  then,  doctor,  it  was  all  sham,"  exclaimed  I. 
*'  Yes — and  the  doctor's  come  on  a  fool's  errand  : — 

"  Goosey,  Goosey  Gander, 
Whither  dost  thou  wander  ? 
Up  stairs  and  down  stairs, 
And  in  a  lady's  chamber," 

The  doctor  shrugged  up  his  shoulders  so  that  his  head 
disappeared  between  them ;  at  last  he  said,  *'  Your  mother 
don't  want  me,  Jack — that's  very  clear.  Good  morning, 
Mrs  Saunders." 

"  A  very  good  morning  to  you.  Doctor  Tadpole,"  re- 
plied my  mother  with  a  profound  courtesy — "  You'll 
oblige  me  by  quitting  this  room,  and  shutting  the  door 
after  you,  if  you  please." 

As  the  doctor  and  I  went  down,  my  mother  continued 
the  song : 

"  And  then  I  met  a  little  man. 
Couldn't  say  his  prayers, 
I  took  him  by  the  left  leg 
And  sent  him  down  stairs." 


44  Poor  Jack 

As  soon  as  we  were  in  the  parlour,  I  acquainted  the 
doctor  with  what  had  happened — "I'm  sure  I  thought  she 
was  dead,"  said  I,  when  I  had  finished  the  story. 

"  Jack,  when  I  asked  you  where  your  mother  was  bad, 
external  or  internal,  you  replied  both,  and  a  great  deal 
more  besides.  So  she  is — internally,  externally,  and  in- 
fernally bad,"  said  the  doctor,  laughing.  *'  Aiid  so  she 
amputated  your  father's  pigtail,  did  she — the  Delilah  ! 
Pity  one  could  not  amputate  her  head,  it  would  make  a 
good  woman  of  her. — Good-bye,  Jack,  I  must  go  and  look 
after  Tom — he's  swallowed  a  whole  yard  of  stick  liquorice 
by  this  time." 

Soon  afterwards,  Ben  the  Whaler  came  in  to  inquire 
after  my  father,  and  I  told  him  what  had  occurred  ;  he 
was  very  indignant  at  my  mother's  conduct,  and,  as  soon 
as  the  affair  was  known,  so  were  all  the  tenants  of  Fisher's 
Alley.  When  my  mother  went  out,  or  had  words  with 
any  of  her  neighbours,  the  retort  was  invariably,  "Who 
sent  the  press-gang  after  her  own  husband  ?  " — or,  "  Who 
cut  off  the  tail  from  her  husband's  back  ? — wasn't  that  a 
genteel  trick  ? "  All  this  worried  my  mother,  and  she 
became  very  morose  and  ill-tempered ;  I  believe  she  would 
have  left  the  alley,  if  she  had  not  taken  a  long  lease  of  the 
house.  She  had  now  imbibed  a  decided  hatred  for  me, 
which  she  never  failed  to  show  upon  every  occasion  ;  for 
she  knew  that  it  was  I  who  had  roused  my  father,  and 
prevented  her  escape  from  his  wrath.  The  consequence 
was,  that  I  was  seldom  at  home,  except  to  sleep.  I 
sauntered  to  the  beach,  ran  into  the  water,  sometimes 
rowed  in  the  wherries,  at  others  hauling  them  in  and 
holding  them  steady  for  the  passengers  to  land.  I  was 
beginning  to  be  useful  to  the  watermen,  and  was  very 
often  rewarded  with  a  piece  of  bread  and  cheese  or  a  drink 
of  beer  out  of  their  pots.  The  first  year  after  my  father's 
visit,  I  was  seldom  given  a  meal,  and  continually  beaten — 
indeed  sometimes  cruelly  so  ;  but  as  I  grew  stronger,  I 
rebelled  and  fought,  and  with  such  success,  that  although 
I  was  hated  more,  I  was  punished  less. 


Poor  Jack  45 

One  scene  between  my  mother  and  me  may  serve  as 
a  specimen  for  all.  I  would  come  home  with  my  trousers 
tucked  up,  and  my  high-lows  unlaced  and  full  of  water — 
sucking  every  time  that  I  lifted  up  my  leg,  and  marking 
the  white  sanded  floor  of  the  front  room,  as  I  proceeded 
through  it  to  the  back-kitchen.  My  mother  would  come 
downstairs,  and  perceiving  the  marks  I  had  left,  would 
get  angry,  and  as  usual  commence  singing, 

''  A.  frog  he  would  a  wooing  go, 
Heighoj  says  Rowly." 

I  see — there's  that  little  wretch  been  here, — 

"  Whether  his  mother  would  let  him  or  no, 
Heigho,  says  Rowly." 

I'll  rowly  him  with  the  rowHng  pin,  when  I  get  hold  of 
him.  He's  worse  than  that  beastly  water-spaniel  of  Sir 
Hercules',  who  used  to  shake  himself  over  my  best 
cambric  muslin.  "Well,  we'll  see.  He'll  be  wanting  his 
dinner  j  I  only  wish  he  may  get  it. — 

"  Little  Jack  Horner  sat  in  a  corner, 
Eating  his  Christmas  pie ; 
He  put  in  his  thumb  and  puU'd  out  a  plum, 
And  cried,  what  a  good  boy  am  1 1  " 

*  Good  boy  am  I ! '  good-for-nothing  brat,  just  like  his 
father.     O  dear ! — if  I  could  but  get  rid  of  him  ! 

"  There  was  an  old  woman  who  lived  in  a  shoe, 
She'd  so  many  children  she  didn't  know  what  to  do  ; 
She  gave  them  some  broth  without  any  bread. 
She  whipped  them  all  round,  and  sent  them  to  bed." 

And  if  I  don't  whip  him,  it's  my  fault,  that's  all.  Virginia, 
my  love,  don't  spit — that's  not  genteel.  It's  only  sailors 
and  Yankees  who  spit. — Nasty  little  brute  ! — oh !  here 
you  are,  are  you  1 "  cried  my  mother,  as  I  entered.  "  Do 
you  see  what  a  dirty  mess  you  have  made,  you  little  un- 
grateful animal }  Take  that,  and  that,  and  that,"  con- 
tinued she,  running  the  wet  bristles  of  the  long  broom 
into  my  face,  with  sufficient  force  to  make  my  nose  bleed. 


46  Poor  Jack 

I  stood  the  first  push,  and  the  second ;  but  the  third 
roused  my  indignation — and  I  caught  hold  of  the  end 
of  the  broom  towards  me,  and  tried  to  force  it  out  of 
her  hands.  It  was  push  against  push  ;  for  I  was  very 
strong — she,  screaming  as  loud  as  she  could,  as  she  tried 
to  wrest  the  broom  from  my  clutches  •, — I,  shoving  at 
her  with  all  my  force — like  Punch  and  the  devil  at  the 
two  ends  of  the  stick.  At  last,  after  she  had  held  me 
in  a  corner  for  half  a  minute,  I  made  a  rush  upon  her, 
drove  her  right  to  the  opposite  corner,  so  that  the  end 
of  the  handle  gave  her  a  severe  poke  in  the  body,  which 
made  her  give  up  the  contest  ;  and  exclaim  as  soon  as 
she  recovered  her  breath, — "  Oh  !  you  nasty,  ungrateful, 
ungenteel  brute !  You  little  viper !  Is  that  the  way 
you  treat  your  mother — and  nearly  kill  her  ?  Oh,  dear 
me!" 

"  Why  don't  you  leave  me  alone,  then  ?  you  never 
beats  Jenny." 

"  Who's  Jenny,  you  wicked  good-for-nothing  boy — 
you  mean  your  sister  Virginia.  Well,  you'll  have  no 
dinner,  I  can  tell  you." 

I  put  my  hand  in  my  pocket,  took  out  a  sixpence  which 
I  had  received,  and  held  it  up  between  my  thumb  and 
finger.     "  Won't  I  ?  " 

"  You  oudacious  boy ! — that's  the  way  you're  spoiled 
by  foolish  people  giving  you  money." 

"  Good-bye,  mother."  So  saying,  I  leaped  over  the 
board  fixed  up  at  the  door,  and  was  again  down  at  the 
beach.  Indeed  I  was  now  what  is  termed  a  regular  Mud- 
larker,  picking  up  halfpence  by  running  into  the  water, 
offering  my  ragged  arm  to  people  getting  out  of  the 
wherries,  always  saluting  them  with,  "  You  havn't  got 
never  a  halfpenny  for  poor  Jack,  your  honour  ? "  and 
sometimes  I  did  get  a  halfpenny,  sometimes  a  shove, 
according  to  the  temper  of  those  whom  I  addressed. 
When  I  was  not  on  the  beach,  I  was  usually  in  company 
with  Ben  the  Whaler,  who,  after  my  father's  visit,  was 
more  kind  to  me  than  ever ;  and  there  were  several  other 


Poor  Jack  47 

pensioners  who  were  great  friends  of  mine  ;  and  I  used 
to  listen  to  their  long  yarns,  which  were  now  becoming  a 
source  of  great  delight  to  me  ;  at  other  times,  I  would 
be  with  the  watermen,  assisting  them  to  clean  out  their 
wherries,  or  pay  the  seams.  In  fact,  I  was  here,  there, 
and  everywhere  except  at  home  —  always  active,  always 
employed,  and,  I  may  add,  almost  always  wet.  My 
mother  used  to  scold  whenever  I  came  in  ;  but  that  I 
did  not  mind :  her  greatest  punishment  was  refusing  me 
a  clean  shirt  on  a  Sunday  j  at  last,  I  picked  up  halfpence 
enough  to  pay,  not  only  for  my  food,  such  as  it  was, 
but  for  my  own  washing,  and  every  day  I  became  more 
independent  and  more  happy. 

There  were  other  ways  by  which  money  was  to  be 
obtained  during  the  summer  season ;  which  were  from 
the  company  who  used  to  come  down  to  the  white  bait 
parties  at  the  Ship  and  other  taverns.  There  were  many 
other  boys  who  frequented  the  beach,  besides  me ;  and 
we  used  to  stand  under  the  windows,  and  attract  attention 
by  every  means  in  our  power,  so  as  to  induce  the  company 
to  throw  us  halfpence  to  scramble  for.  This  they  would 
do  to  while  away  their  time  until  their  dinner  was  ready, 
or  to  amuse  themselves  and  the  ladies  by  seeing  us  roll 
and  tumble  one  over  the  other.  Sometimes  they  would 
throw  a  sixpence  into  the  river,  where  the  water  was 
about  two  feet  deep,  to  make  us  wet  ourselves  through, 
in  groping  for  it.  Indeed,  they  were  very  generous 
when  they  wished  to  be  amused ;  and  every  kind  of 
offer  was  made  to  them  which  we  thought  suited  to  their 
tastes,  or  likely  to  extract  money  from  their  pockets. 

"  Dip  my  head  in  the  mud  for  sixpence,  sir  ?  "  would 
one  of  us  cry  out  j  and  then  he  would  be  outbid  by 
another. 

**  Roll  myself  all  over  and  over  in  the  mud,  face  and  all, 
sir — only  give  me  sixpence  !  " 

Sometimes  I  would  perceive  a  lovely  countenance, 
beaming  with  pity  and  compassion  at  our  rags  and  apparent 
wretchedness ;  and  then  the  money  thrown  to  me  gave  me 


48  Poor  Jack 

much  more  pleasure :  but  the  major  portion  of  those  who 
threw  us  silver  for  their  own  amusement  would  not  have 
given  us  a  farthing,  if  we  had  asked  charity  for  the  love 
of  God. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  I  gained  the 
enviable  situation  of  Poor  Jack  until  I  had  been  some  time 
on  the  beach.  There  are  competitors  for  every  place, 
even  the  most  humble ;  and  there  was  no  want  of  com- 
petitors for  this  office  among  the  many  idle  boys  who 
frequented  the  beach.  When  I  first  plied  there,  I  was 
often  pushed  away  by  those  who  were  older  and  stronger 
than  myself,  with  a  "  Go  along  with  you  !  He's  not  poor 
Jack — I'm  poor  Jack,  your  honour."  This,  at  first,  I 
submitted  to ;  taking  my  chance  for  a  stray  halfpenny, 
which  was  occasionally  thrown  to  me  ;  trusting  to  my 
activity  in  being  the  first  down  to  the  boat,  or  to  my  quick- 
ness in  a  scramble.  I  never  quarrelled  with  the  other  boys, 
for  I  was  remarkable  for  my  good  temper.  The  first  idea 
I  had  of  resistance  was  from  oppression.  One  of  the  boys, 
who  was  older  and  taller  than  myself,  attempted  to  take 
away  a  sixpence  which  I  had  gained  in  a  scramble.  Before 
that,  I  had  not  resented  being  pushed  away,  or  even  when 
they  threw  water  or  mud  at  me  j  but  this  was  an  act  of 
violence  which  I  could  not  put  up  with : — the  consequence 
was  a  fight ;  in  which,  to  my  surprise  (for  I  was  not  aware 
of  my  strength),  as  well  as  to  the  surprise  of  the  by- 
standers, I  proved  victorious,  beating  my  opponent,  until 
he  reeled  into  the  water,  following  him  up  until  he  tumbled, 
and  then  holding  his  head  down  in  the  mud,  until  he  was 
almost  stifled.  I  then  allowed  him  to  get  up ;  and  he 
went  home  crying  to  his  mother.  For  this  feat,  I  was 
rewarded  with  the  plaudits  of  the  old  pensioners  and 
others  who  were  looking  on,  and  with  a  shilling  which 
was  thrown  to  me  from  the  window  of  the  inn.  Ben  the 
Whaler,  who  had  witnessed  the  fray,  told  me,  the  next 
day,  that  I  handled  my  fists  remarkably  well ;  and  that  I 
had  but  to  keep  a  higher  guard,  and  I  should  fight  well. 
He  was  an  old  pugilist  himself,  and  he  gave  me  a  few 


Poor  Jack  49 

directions  which  I  did  not  forget.  I  soon  had  occasion  to 
put  them  into  practice ;  for,  two  days  afterwards,  another 
boy,  bigger  than  myself,  as  I  was  plying  as  "  Poor  Jack," 
pushed  me  back  so  hard  that  I  fell  off  the  steps  into  the 
deep  water,  and  there  was  a  general  laugh  against  me.  I 
did  not  care  for  the  ducking,  but  the  laugh  I  could  not 
bear  j  as  soon  as  I  gained  the  steps  again,  I  rushed  upon 
him,  and  threw  him  ofF,  and  he  fell  into  the  wherry,  and, 
as  it  afterwards  appeared,  he  strained  his  back  very  much  ; 
nevertheless  he  came  out  to  thrash  me ;  and  this  time  it 
was  a  regular  fight,  as  the  pensioners  and  watermen 
interfered,  taking  us  both  up  on  the  higher  ground,  and 
seeing  that  it  was  fair  play.  Ben  the  Whaler  acted  as  my 
second,  and  we  set  to.  The  boy  was  too  powerful  for  me, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  hurt  he  had  received,  and  the 
instructions  I  obtained  from  Ben  every  time  that  I  sat  on 
his  knee  between  each  round.  Still  it  was  a  very  hard 
fight,  and  I  was  terribly  beaten, — but  I  could  not  give  up, 
for  so  many  betted  upon  my  winning  j  and  Ben  told  me, 
at  the  end  of  every  round,  that,  if  I  only  stood  up  one 
more,  I  should  be  certain  to  beat  him ;  and  that  then  I 
should  be  Poor  Jack  for  ever  I  The  last  inducement 
stimulated  me  to  immense  exertion  j  we  closed  and 
wrestled,  and  my  antagonist  was  thrown ;  and,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  strain  he  had  before  received,  he  could  not 
stand  up  any  more.  Poor  fellow !  he  was  in  great  pain ; 
he  was  taken  home,  and  obliged  to  have  a  doctor,  and  an 
abscess  formed  in  his  side.  He  was  a  long  while  getting 
well,  and,  when  he  came  out  of  doors  again,  he  was  so 
pale, — I  was  very  sorry  for  him,  and  we  were  always  the 
best  friends  afterwards,  and  I  gave  him  many  a  halfpenny, 
until  I  had  an  opportunity  of  serving  him. 

I  mention  these  two  fights,  because  they  obtained  for 
me  a  greater  reputation  than  I  deserved  j  this  reputation 
perhaps  saved  me  a  great  deal  more  fighting,  and  obtained 
me  the  mastery  over  the  other  boys  on  the  beach.  Indeed, 
I  became  such  a  favourite  with  the  watermen,  that  they 
would  send  the  other  boys  away :  and  thus  did  I  become, 

P.J.  D 


5©  Poor  Jack 

at  last,   the  acknowledged,  true,  lawful,  and  legitimate 
"Poor  Jack  of  Greenwich." 


Chapter  IX 

In  which  I  take  a  cruise  contrary  to  the  received  rules  of  navigation — On 
my  return  from  a  cold  expedition,  I  meet  with  a  cold  reception. 

As  soon  as  I  was  fairly  in  possession  of  my  office,  I  gained 
sufficient  money  to  render  me  almost  entirely  independent 
of  my  mother.  Occasionally  I  procured  an  old  jacket  or 
trousers,  or  a  pair  of  shoes,  at  the  store  of  an  old  woman, 
who  dealt  in  everything  that  could  be  imagined  ;  and,  if 
ever  I  picked  up  oakum,  or  drifting  pieces  of  wood,  I  used 
to  sell  them  to  old  Nanny, — for  that  was  the  only  name 
she  was  known  by.  My  mother,  having  lost  her  lodgers 
by  her  ill  temper,  and  continual  quarrelling  with  her 
neighbours,  had  resorted  to  washing  and  getting  up  of 
fine  linen,  at  which  she  was  very  expert,  and  earned  a 
good  deal  of  money.  To  do  her  justice,  she  was  a  very 
industrious  woman,  and,  in  some  things,  very  clever.  She 
was  a  very  good  dressmaker,  and  used  to  make  up  the 
gowns  and  bonnets  for  the  lower  classes  of  people,  to 
whom  she  gave  great  satisfaction.  She  worked  very  hard 
for  herself  and  my  sister,  about  whose  dress  and  appearance 
she  was  more  particular  than  ever ;  indeed,  she  showed  as 
much  affection  for  her  as  she  did  ill  will  towards  me.  To 
look  at  me,  with  my  old  trousers  tucked  up  above  my 
knees,  my  ragged  jacket,  and  weather-beaten  cap  ;  and  then 
to  see  Virginia,  so  neatly,  and  even  expensively,  dressed, 
no  one  could  have  believed  that  we  were  brother  and  sister. 
My  mother  would  always  try  to  prevent  Virginia  from 
noticing  me,  if  we  ever  met  when  she  was  walking  out 
with  her.  But  my  sister  appeared  to  love  me  more  and 
more  ;  and,  in  spite  of  my  mother,  as  soon  as  she  saw  me, 
would  run  up  to  me,  patting  my  dirty  jacket  with  her 
pretty  little  hand ;  and,  when  she  did  so,  I  felt  so  proud 


Poor  Jack  51 

of  her.  She  grew  up  handsomer  every  day,  and  so  sweet 
in  disposition,  that  my  mother  could  not  spoil  her. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  that  I  gained  undisputed  possession 
of  the  office  of  "  Poor  Jack  ;  "  and  that  winter  I  had  an 
adventure  which  nearly  occasioned  my  making  a  vacancy 
for  somebody  else  ;  and  which,  the  reader  will  agree  with 
me,  was  anything  but  pleasant. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  January, — the  river  was  filled 
with  floating  ice,  for  it  had  frozen  hard  for  several  days ; 
and,  of  course,  there  were  but  few  people  who  trusted 
themselves  in  wherries, — so  that  I  had  little  employment, 
and  less  profit.  One  morning,  as  I  was  standing  on  the 
landing-steps,  the  breath  coming  out  of  my  mouth  like  the 
steam  of  a  tea-kettle, — rubbing  my  nose,  which  was  red 
from  the  sharpness  of  the  frost, — and  looking  at  the  sun, 
which  was  just  mounting  above  a  bank  of  clouds,  a  water- 
man called  to  me,  and  asked  me  whether  I  would  go  down 
the  river  with  him,  as  he  was  engaged  to  take  a  mate  down 
to  join  his  ship,  which  was  several  miles  below  Greenwich  ; 
and,  if  so,  he  would  give  me  sixpence  and  a  breakfast.  I 
had  earned  little  for  many  days,  and,  hating  to  be  obliged 
to  my  mother,  I  consented. 

In  an  hour  we  started  ;  there  was  no  wind, — the  water 
was  smooth,  and  the  sun's  rays  glittered  on  the  floating 
patches  of  ice,  which  grated  against  the  sides  of  the 
wherry,  as  we  cut  through  them  with  our  sharp  prow. 
Although  we  had  the  tide  with  us,  it  was  three  hours 
before  we  gained  the  ship.  The  mate  paid  the  fare,  and 
gave  us  something  to  drink;  and  we  passed  an  hour  or 
more  warming  ourselves  at  the  caboose,  and  talking  with 
the  seamen.  At  last  a  breeze  sprung  up,  and  the  captain 
ordered  the  men  to  get  the  ship  under  weigh.  We  shoved 
off",  the  tide  having  flowed  some  time,  expecting  to  be 
back  to  Greenwich  before  dark. 

But  it  clouded  over ;  and  a  heavy  snow-storm  came  on, 
so  that  we  could  not  see  in  what  direction  we  were 
pulling  ;  the  wind  blew  very  fresh,  and  it  was  piercing 
cold  J  however,  we  pulled  as  hard  as  we  could,  not  only 


52  Poor  Jack 

to  get  back  again,  but  to  keep  ourselves  from  freezing. 
Unfortunately,  we  had  lost  too  much  time  on  board  of 
the  vessel ;  and,  what  with  that,  and  the  delay  arising 
from  the  snow-storm  preventing  us  pulling  straight  back, 
the  ebb-tide  made  again  before  we  had  gained  more  than 
two-thirds  of  our  way.  "We  were  now  nearly  worn  out 
with  the  severe  cold  and  fatigue,  but  we  pulled  hard, 
keeping  as  close  in-shore  as  we  could.  It  was  necessary, 
at  the  end  of  one  reach,  to  cross  over  to  the  other  side  of 
the  river  j  and,  in  so  doing,  we  were  driven  by  the  tide 
against  a  large  buoy,  when  the  wherry  filled  and  upset  in. 
an  instant.  We  both  contrived  to  cling  on  to  her,  as  she 
was  turned  bottom  up ;  and  away  we  were  swept  down 
among  the  drifting  ice,  the  snow-storm  still  continuing  ta 
beat  down  on  our  heads.  I  was  nearly  frozen  before  I 
could  climb  on  the  bottom  of  the  wherry ;  which  I  at  last 
contrived  to  do,  but  the  waterman  could  only  hold  on. 
There  we  both  were,  shivering  and  shaking ;  the  wind  pierc- 
Ing  through  our  wet  clothes, — the  snow  beating  down  on  us, 
and  our  feet  freezing  among  the  drifting  ice — borne  away 
with  the  tide  towards  the  mouth  of  the  river — not  able  to 
see  two  yards  before  us,  or  likely  to  be  seen  by  anyone, 
so  as  to  be  assisted.  We  were  too  cold  to  speak,  but 
remained  in  silence,  looking  at  each  other,  and  with  no 
pleasant  forebodings  as  to  our  fate.  The  ice  now  formed 
in  large  masses ;  the  icicles  hung  from  our  clothes,  and  all 
sense  was  lost  in  our  extremities.  It  was  now  dark  as 
pitch  ;  and  so  feeble  were  we  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
we  could  keep  in  our  positions.  At  last  the  storm  abated, 
the  sky  cleared  up,  and  the  bright  full  moon  shone  in  the 
heavens ;  but  our  case  appeared  hopeless, — we  felt  that 
before  morning  we  must  perish.  I  tried  to  say  what 
prayers  I  had  learnt  by  hearing  my  sister  say  them ;  but 
my  teeth  chattered,  and  I  could  only  think  them.  At  last, 
I  perceived  a  vessel  at  anchor — the  tide  was  sweeping  us 
past, — we  were  close  to  her,  and  I  contrived  to  cry  out ; 
— but  there  was  no  reply.  Again  I  screamed,  but  it  was 
in  vain.     They  were  all  in  their  warm  beds  j  while  we 


Poor  Jack  5;^ 

floated  past,  freezing  to  death.  My  hopes,  which  had 
been  raised,  and  which  had  occasioned  my  heart  to  resume 
its  beating,  now  sank  down  again,  and  I  gave  myself  up 
in  despair.  I  burst  into  tears ;  and,  before  the  tears  had 
rolled  half  way  down  my  cheeks,  they  had  frozen  hard. 
•**I  am  indeed  'Poor  Jack'  now,"  thought  I;  *'I  shall 
never  see  my  father  or  Virginia  any  more."  As  I  thought 
so,  I  saw  another  vessel  ahead  of  us.  I  summoned  all 
my  strength,  and  called  out  long  before  we  floated  past 
her.  The  light  wind  bore  my  voice  down  ;  there  was  a 
man  on  deck,  and  he  heard  it ;  he  walked  forward,  and 
I  perceived  him  looking  over  the  bows.  I  hallooed  again, 
to  direct  his  attention  to  where  we  were  j  for  our  wherry 
was  so  encrusted  with  ice,  that  she  might  have  been 
taken  for  a  larger  piece  floating  by.  I  saw  him  turn  away, 
and  heard  him  thump  with  a  handspike  on  the  deck. 
How  my  heart  bounded !  I  almost  felt  warm.  As  we 
were  passing  the  vessel,  I  cried  out  again  and  again,  and 
the  man  answered  me — 

**  Ay,  ay,  hold  on  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  I'll  send 
for  you." 

"  We  are  saved,"  I  cried  to  the  waterman ;  but  he  was 
quite  insensible,  apparently  frozen  stiff  where  he  was 
clinging.  In  a  few  minutes  I  heard  the  sound  of  oars, 
and  then  they  stopped;  the  boat  came  quietly  alongside, 
that  they  might  not  by  the  shock  throw  us  off"  into  the 
water ;  they  dragged  us  both  in,  and  took  us  on  board, 
poured  a  glass  of  brandy  down  our  throats,  stripped  off" 
our  frozen  clothes,  chafed  our  limbs,  and  put  us  between 
the  hot  blankets  which  they  had  just  left.  As  soon  as  I 
was  in  bed,  the  mate  made  me  drink  a  tumbler  of  hot  grog, 
and  left  me.  I  soon  fell  into  a  deep  sleep,  long  before 
they  had  ceased  their  attempts  to  restore  vitality  to  my 
companion  ;  which  at  last  they  did.  When  I  awoke  the 
next  morning,  I  was  quite  well ;  and  the  waterman  was 
also  recovering,  although  not  able  to  leave  his  hammock. 
The  mate  who  had  had  the  watch  and  had  saved  us,  told  me 
that  the  wherry  was  safe  on  board ;  and,  as  the  ship  was 


54  Poo^  J^ck 

bound  up  the  river,  that  we  had  better  remain  where  we 
were.  I  narrated  our  accident  j  and  my  clothes  having 
been  dried  at  the  caboose,  I  dressed  myself,  and  went  on 
deck.  My  companion,  the  waterman,  did  not  escape  so 
well;  his  foot  was  frost-bitten,  and  he  lost  four  of  his 
toes,  before  he  recovered.  It  was  singular  that  he,  who 
was  a  man  grown  up,  should  suffer  so  much  more  than  I 
did.  I  cannot  account  for  it,  except  that  my  habit  of 
always  being  in  the  water  had  hardened  me  more  to  the 
cold.  We  remained  on  board  two  days ;  during  which 
we  were  treated  with  great  kindness. 

It  was  a  line  bright  morning,  when,  as  the  ship  was 
passing  the  hospital,  we  shoved  the  wherry  off,  and 
landed  at  the  steps ;  and,  when  we  jumped  out,  we  were 
greeted  by  all  who  were  standing  there.  We  had  very 
naturally  been  given  up  for  lost.  They  supposed  that 
we  had  perished  in  the  snow-storm.  Old  Ben  was  among 
those  who  were  standing  at  the  steps,  and  he  walked  up 
with  me  towards  my  mother's  house. 

"  I  did  go  to  the  old  woman  and  break  the  matter  to 
her  in  a  becoming  way.  Jack,"  said  Ben  ;  "  but  I  can^t 
say  that  she  appeared  to  take  it  much  to  heart,  and  that's 
the  truth.  Had  it  been  little  Jenny,  she'd  have  cried  her 
eyes  out." 

I  arrived  at  Fisher's  Alley,  and  the  neighbours  looked 
out  J  and  as  I  nodded  to  them,  they  cried,  "  Why,  here's 
Jack  come  back  again.  Where  have  you  been  to.  Jack  ?  " 
This  passing  from  mouth  to  mouth,  at  last  reached  my 
mother's  ears ;  she  looked  out,  and  saw  me  and  old  Ben 
close  to  the  door. 

"  Here  be  your  son.  Misses,"  said  Ben  j  "  so  you  may 
thank  God  for  His  mercy." 

But  my  mother  did  not  appear  to  be  very  thankful. 
She  turned  round  and  went  in ;  I  followed  her,  while 
Ben  was  standing  at  the  door  in  amazement  at  her  not 
flying  to  me  and  kissing  me.  On  the  contrary,  she  must 
have  been  angry  at  my  return ;  for  she  commenced 
singing— 


Poor  Jack  ^^ 

«*  Jack  and  Gill  went  up  the  hill 
To  fetch  a  pail  of  water ; 
Jack  fell  down  and  broke  his  crown. 
And  Gill  came  tumbling  after." 

And  then  she  broke  out — '*  And  where  have  you  been, 
you  good-for-nothing  boy,  all  this  time  ?  putting  me  to 
all  this  useless  expense  that  you  have;  all  my  money 
thrown  away  for  nothing."  I  looked  at, the  table,  and 
perceived  that  she  had  been  making  a  black  dress  and 
bonnet,  to  put  little  Virginia  into  mourning  j  for  she 
never  let  slip  an  opportunity  to  dress  out  my  sister. 

**  Fifteen  good  shillings  thrown  away  and  lost — all  by 
your  coming  back.  Your  sister  would  have  looked  so 
beautiful  and  interesting  in  it.  Poor  child !  and  now  she 
will  be  disappointed.  Never  mind,  my  darling,  you  may 
have  to  wear  them  soon  yet,  if  he  goes  on  this  way." 

Virginia  did  not  seem  to  mind  it  at  all ;  she  was  kissing 
and  patting  me,  and  was  delighted  to  see  me  again.  But 
my  mother  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  catching  up  the 
half-made  dress  and  bonnet  in  her  other,  walked  away 
upstairs  to  her  room,  singing — 

"  There  was  an  old  man  who  lived  under  a  hill, 
And  if  he's  not  dead,  he  lives  there  still." 

"  So  much  for  motherly  love !  Dang  it,  what's  her 
heart  made  of  ? "  said  a  voice.  I  turned  round ;  it  was 
old  Ben,  who  had  been  an  unobserved  spectator  of  the 
scene. 


Chapter  X 

In  which  I  narrate  what  I  consider  the  most  fortunate  incident  in  my  life ; 
and  Ben  the  Whaler  confides  to  me  a  very  strange  history. 

Among  the  pensioners,  there  was  one  with  whom  I  must 
make  the  reader  acquainted  j  as  he  will  be  an  important 
person  in  this  narrative.  His  name  was  Peter  Anderson, 
a  north  countryman,  I  believe,  from  Greenock ;  he  had 
been  gunner's  mate  in  the  service  for  many  years ;  and, 


$€  Poor  Jack 

having  been  severely  wounded  in  an  action,  he  had  been 
sent  to  Greenwich.  He  was  a  boatswain  in  Greenwich 
Hospital ;  that  is,  he  had  charge  of  a  ward  of  twenty-five 
men ;  and  Ben  the  "Whaler  had  lately  been  appointed  one 
of  the  boatswain's  mates  under  him.  He  was  a  very  good 
scholar,  and  had  read  a  great  deal.  You  could  hardly 
put  any  question  to  him,  but  you  would  get  from  him  a 
satisfactory  soft  of  an  answer ;  and  he  was  generally 
referred  to  in  all  points  of  dispute,  especially  in  matters 
connected  with  the  service,  which  he  had  at  his  fingers' 
ends ;  and,  moreover,  he  was  a  very  religious,  good  man. 
I  never  heard  him  swear,  but  correct  all  those  who  did 
so  in  his  presence.  He  had  saved  some  money  in  the 
service;  the  interest  of  which,  with  his  allowances  as 
boatswain,  enabled  him  to  obtain  many  little  comforts, 
and  to  be  generous  to  others.  Before  Ben  was  shifted 
over  to  Anderson's  ward,  which  he  was  when  he  was 
appointed  boatswain's  mate  under  him,  they  had  not  been 
well  acquainted  j  but,  since  that  time,  they  were  almost 
always  together ;  so  that  now  I  knew  Anderson,  which 
I  did  not  before,  except  by  sight.  He  was  a  very 
venerable-looking  old  man,  with  grey  locks  curling  down 
on  his  shoulders,  but  very  stout  and  hearty  j  and,  as  Ben 
had  told  him  all  about  me,  he  took  notice  of  me,  and 
appeared  also  to  take  an  interest.  When  I  came  back, 
after  the  providential  escape  I  have  mentioned  in  the 
last  chapter,  Ben  had  narrated  to  him  the  conduct  of  my 
mother;  and  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  when  the  frost 
had  broken  up,  and  they  were  both  sitting  down,  basking 
in  the  sun,  which  was  shining  bright,  I  went  up  to 
them. 

*'  "Well,  Jack,"  said  old  Ben,  "  are  you  ready  for  another 
trip  down  the  river  ? " 

"  I  hope  I  shall  earn  my  sixpence  at  an  easier  rate,  if  I 
do  go,"  replied  I. 

*'  It  was  wonderful  that  you  were  saved,  boy,"  said  Peter 
Anderson ;  "  and  you  ought  to  be  very  thankful  to  the 
Omniscient." 


Poor  Jack  57 

I  stared  j  for  I  had  never  heard  that  term  applied  to  the 
Deity. 

"  You  mean  God,  don't  you  ? "  said  I,  at  last  j  for  I 
thought  he  couldn't  mean  any  other. 

"  Yes,  boy  j  has  not  your  mother  taught  you  that 
name  ? " 

"  She  never  would  teach  me  anything.  All  the  prayers 
I  know  I  have  stolen  from  my  sister." 

"  And  what  do  you  know,  Jack  ? " 

**  I  know  *  Our  Father,'  and  *  Now  I  lay  me  down  to 
sleep,'  and  I  believe  that  is  all." 

**  How  old  are  you  now.  Jack  ?  " 

"  I  am  three  years  older  than  Virginia ;  she,  I  heard  my 
mother  say,  was  six  the  other  day, — then  I  suppose  I'm 
nine." 

**  Do  you  know  your  letters  ?  " 

<*  Yes,  some  of  them  ;  I  learnt  them  on  the  boats." 

*'  But  you  cannot  read  ?  " 

**  No,  not  a  word." 

**  Has  your  mother  ever  told  you  of  the  Bible  ?  " 

"  Not  me  •,  but  I've  heard  her  tell  Virginia  about  it." 

**  Don't  you  ever  go  to  church  ?  " 

*'  No,  never.  Mother  takes  little  Virginia ;  but  she  says 
I'm  too  ragged  and  ungenteel." 

"  Why  does  your  mother  neglect  you  ?  I  suppose  you 
are  a  bad  boy  ? " 

**  That  he's  not,"  interrupted  Ben ;  "  that's  not  the 
reason.  But  we  must  not  talk  about  that  now  j  only,  I 
must  take  Jack's  part.     Go  on,  Peter." 

'*  Would  you  like  to  learn  to  read.  Jack  ?  "  said 
Anderson ;  •*  and  would  you  like  to  hear  me  read  the  Bible 
to  you,  until  you  can  read  it  yourself  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  would,"  replied  I.  "  There's  many  of  the 
boys  on  the  beach,  smaller  than  me,  who  can  both  read  and 
write." 

Peter  Anderson  then  told  me  that  he  would  teach  me, 
provided  I  behaved  myself  welh  He  desired  I  would  come 
to  his  cabin  every  afternoon  at  six  o'clock,  a  time  which 


58  Poor  Jack 

interfered  little  with  my  avocation  of  "Poor  Jack,"  and 
that  he  would  give  me  a  lesson.  Before  he  had  finished 
talking,  one  of  the  lieutenants  of  the  hospital  sent  for  him  ; 
and  Ben  remained  behind,  to  point  out  to  me  how  valuable 
my  knowing  how  to  read  and  write  might  one  day  prove 
to  me. 

"  I've  no  larning  myself.  Jack,"  said  he ;  "  and  I  know 
the  loss  of  it.  Had  I  known  how  to  read  and  write,  I 
might  have  been  something  better  than  a  poor  Greenwich 
pensioner  j  but,  nevertheless,  I'm  thankful  that  I'm  no 
worse.  Ever  since  I've  been  a  man  grown  I've  only 
regretted  it  once, — and  that's  been  all  my  life.  Why,  Jack, 
I'd  give  this  right  arm  of  mine — to  be  sure,  it's  no  great 
things  now ;  but  once  it  could  send  a  harpoon  in,  up  to  the 
hilt — but  still  a  right  arm  is  a  right  arm  to  the  end  of  your 
days ;  and  I'd  give  it  with  pleasure,  if  I  only  knew  how  to 
read  and  write ; — nay,  I  wouldn't  care  about  the  writing  j 
but,  if  I  could  only  read  print,  Jack,  I'd  give  it ;  for  then  I 
could  read  the  Bible,  as  Peter  Anderson  does.  Why,  Jack, 
when  we  do  go  to  chapel  on  Sunday,  there's  not  one  in  ten 
of  us  who  can  follow  the  parson  with  his  book ;  all  we  can 
do  is  to  listen ;  and  when  he  has  done  speaking,  we  are 
done  also,  and  must  wait  till  he  preaches  again.  Don't  I 
feel  ashamed,  then,  Jack,  at  not  being  able  to  read ;  and 
ought  not  they  to  feel  proud  who  can ; — no,  not  proud,  but 
thankful .''  *  We  don't  think  of  the  Bible  much  in  our 
younger  days,  boy ;  but,  when  we  are  tripping  our  anchor 
for  the  other  world,  we  long  to  read  away  our  doubts  and 
misgivings ;  and  it's  the  only  chart  you  can  navigate  by 
safely.  I  think  a  parent  has  much  to  answer  for,  that  don't 
teach  its  child  to  read ;  but  I  must  not  blame  my  father  or 
mother,  for  I  never  knew  them." 

"  Never  knew  them  ? " 

**  No,  boy,  no.     My  father  and  mother  left  me  when  I 

*  Ben's  observations  were  true  at  the  time  he  spoke  :  but  this  is  no  longer 
the  case.  So  much  more  general  has  education  become,  that  now,  in  a  ship's 
company,  at  least  five  out  of  seven  can  read. 


Poor  Jack  59 

was  one  year  old ;  he  was  drowned ;  and  my  mother — 
she  died  too,  poor  soul !  " 

"  How  did  your  mother  die,  Ben  ? "  ' 

"It's  a  sad,  sad  story.  Jack,  and  I  cannot  bear  to  think 
of  it ;  it  was  told  me  long  afterwards,  by  one  who  little 
thought  to  whom  he  was  speaking." 

"  Do  tell  me,  Ben." 

"  You're  too  young,  boy,  for  such  a  tale — It's  too 
shocking." 

"Was  it  worse  than  being  froze  to  death,  as  I  nearly 
was  the  other  day  ? " 

"Yes,  my  lad,  worse  than  that;  although,  for  one  so 
young  as  you  are,  that  was  quite  bad  enough." 

"  Well,  Ben,  I  wo'n't  ask  you  to  tell  me,  if  it  pains  you 
to  tell  it.     But  you  did  not  do  wrong  ? " 

"  How  could  a  baby  of  two  years  old  do  wrong  ?  and 
five  thousand  miles  off  at  the  time,  you  little  fool  ?  Well, 
I  don't  know  if  I  wo'n't  tell  you.  Jack,  after  all ;  because 
you  will  then  find  out  that  there's  a  comfort  in  reading 
the  Bible — but  you  must  promise  me  never  to  speak  about 
it.  I'm  a  foolish  old  fellow  to  tell  it  to  you,  Jack,  I  do 
believe ;  but  I'm  fond  of  you,  boy,  and  I  don't  like  to  say 
'  no '  to  you.  Now  come  to  an  anchor  close  to  me.  The 
bells  are  ringing  for  dinner.  I  shall  lose  my  meal,  but  you 
will  not  lose  your  story,  and  there  will  be  no  fear  of 
interruption. 

"  My  father  was  brought  up  to  the  sea.  Jack,  and  was  a 
smart  young  man  till  he  was  about  thirty  ;  when  a  fall 
from  the  mainyard  disabled  him  from  hard  duty,  and  going 
aloft :  but  still  he  had  been  brought  up  to  sea,  and  was 
fit  for  nothing  on  shore.  So,  as  he  was  a  clean  likely 
fellow,  he  obtained  the  situation  of  purser's  steward  in  an 
Indiaman.  After  that,  he  was  captain's  steward  on  board 
of  several  ships.  He  sailed  originally  from  Yarmouth  ; 
and,  going  home,  after  a  voyage,  to  see  his  relations,  he 
fell  in  with  my  mother,  and  they  were  spliced.  He  was 
very  fond  of  his  wife ;  and  I  believe  she  was  a  very  true 
and  good  woman,  equally  fond  of  him.     He  went  to  sea 


6p  Poor  Jack 

again,  and  I  was  born.  He  made  another  voyage  to  India; 
and,  when  he  came  back,  I  was  two  years  old.  I  do  not 
recollect  him  or  my  mother.  My  father  had  agreed  to 
sail  to  the  West  Indies  as  captain's  steward,  and  the  captain, 
with  whom  he  had  sailed  before,  consented  that  he  should 
take  his  wife  with  him,  to  attend  upon  the  lady  passengers ; 
so  I  was  left  at  Yarmouth,  and  put  out  to  nurse  till  they 
came  back, — but  they  never  came  back,  Jack ;  and,  as 
soon  as  I  can  recollect,  I  found  myself  in  the  workhouse, 
and,  when  old  enough,  was  sent  to  sea.  '  I  had  been  told 
that  my  father  and  mother  had  been  lost  at  sea,  but  no  one 
could  tell  me  how, — and  I  thought  little  more  about  it, 
for  I  had  never  known  them  j  and  those  we  don't  know  we 
do  not  love  or  care  for,  be  they  father  or  mother. 

*'  Well,  I  had  sailed  four  or  five  voyages  to  the  north,  in 
the  whalers,  and  was  then  about  twenty-five  years  old, 
when  I  thought  I  would  go  back  to  Yarmouth  and  show 
myself ;  for  I  was  '  harpooner  and  steersman '  at  that 
early  age,  and  not  a  little  proud.  I  thought  I  would 
go  and  look  at  the  old  workhouse,  for  it  was  the  only 
thing  I  could  recollect ;  and  see  if  the  master  and  mistress 
were  still  alive ;  for  they  were  kind  to  me  when  I  was 
living  with  them.  I  went  to  Yarmouth,  as  I  said :  there 
was  the  workhouse  j  and  the  master  and  mistress  both 
alive;  and  I  made  myself  known  to  them,  and  the  old 
people  looked  at  me  through  their  spectacles,  and  could 
not  believe  that  I  could  possibly  be  the  little  Ben,  who 
used  to  run  to  the  pump  for  water.  I  had  money  in  my 
pocket ;  and  I  liked  the  old  people,  who  offered  me  all 
they  could  give,  without  hopes  of  receiving  anything  in 
return ;  and,  as  I  knew  nobody  else,  I  used  to  live  much 
with  them,  and  pay  them  handsomely ;  I  gave  the  old  man 
some  curiosities,  and  the  old  woman  a  teapot,  and  so  on ; 
and  1  remained  with  them  till  it  was  time  for  me  to  sail 
again.  Now  you  see.  Jack,  among  the  old  folk  in  the 
workhouse,  was  a  man  who  had  been  at  sea ;  and  I  often 
had  long  talks  with  him,  and  gave  him  tobacco,  which  he 
couldn't  afford  to  buy,  for  they  don't  allow  it  in  a  work- 


Poor  Jack  6 1 

house,  which  is  a  great  hardship ;  and  I  have  often  thought 
that  I  should  not  like  to  go  into  a  workhouse,  because  I 
never  could  have  a  bit  of  tobacco.  This  man's  hair  was 
as  white  as  snow,  much  too  white  for  his  age,  for  he  was 
more  decrepit  and  worn  out  than,  perhaps,  he  was  old. 
He  had  come  home  to  his  parish,  and,  being  unable  to  gain 
his  living,  they  had  sent  him  to  the  workhouse.  I  can't 
understand  why  a  place  should  be  called  a  workhouse, 
where  they  do  nothing  at  all. — Well,  Charley,  as  they 
called  him,  got  very  ill ;  and  they  thought  he  would  not 
last  long — and  when  the  old  people  were  busy,  I  used  to 
talk  a  great  deal  with  him ;  he  was  generally  very  quiet 
and  composed,  and  said  he  was  comfortable,  but  that  he 
knew  he  was  going  fast. 

"  '  But,'  says  he,  *  here's  my  comfort ; '  and  he  pointed 
to  a  Bible  that  he  had  on  his  knees.  '  If  it  had  not  been 
for  this  book,'  said  he,  *  I  do  think,  at  times,  I  should  have 
made  away  with  myself.' 

"  *  Why,'  says  I,  *  what  have  you  done  ?  Have  you 
been  very  wicked  ? ' 

"  *  We  are  all  very  wicked,'  said  he ;  *  but  that's  not 
exactly  it — I  have  been  haunted  for  so  many  years,  that 
I  have  been  almost  driven  mad.' 

"  *  Why,'  said  I,  *  what  can  you  have  done  that  you 
should  have  been  haunted  } — You  hav'n't  committed 
murder,  have  you  ? ' 

"  *  Well,  I  don't  know  what  to  say,'  replied  he ;  *  if  a 
man  looks  on  and  don't  prevent  murder,  is  it  not  the  same  "i 
I  hav'n't  long  to  live,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  should  be  happier  if 
I  made  a  clean  breast  of  it ;  for  I  have  kept  the  secret  a 
long  while ;  and  I  think  that  you,  as  a  sailor,  and  knowing 
what  sailors  suffer,  may  have  a  fellow-feeling ;  and  perhaps 
you  will  tell  me  (for  I'm  somewhat  uneasy  about  it) 
whether  you  think  that  I  am  so  very  much  to  blame  in  the 
business  \  I've  suffered  enough  for  it  these  many  years ; 
and  I  trust  that  it  will  not  be  forgotten  that  I  have  so, 
when  I'm  called  up  to  be  judged — as  we  all  shall,  if  this 
book  is  true, — as  I  fully  believe  it  to  be.' 


62  Poor  Jack 

**  Here  he  appeared  to  be  a  good  deal  upset  ;  but  he 
took  a  drink  of  water,  and  then  he  told  me  as  follows  : — 

"  *  About  twenty-three  years  ago,  I  was  a  seaman  on 
board  of  the  William  and  Caroline,  West  Indiaman,  bound 
to  Jamaica.  We  had  two  or  three  passengers  on  board, 
and  the  steward's  wife  attended  upon  them.  She  was  a 
handsome  tall  young  woman ;  and  when  she  and  her 
husband  came  on  board,  they  told  me  they  had  one  child, 
which  they  had  left  at  home.  Now  Yarmouth,  you  see, 
is  my  native  place ;  and,  although  I  did  not  know  her 
husband,  I  knew  her  family  very  well ;  so  we  were  very 
intimate,  and  used  to  talk  about  the  people  we  knew,  and 
so  on.  I  mention  this,  in  consequence  of  what  occurred 
afterwards.  We  arrived  very  safe  at  Jamaica,  and  re- 
mained, as  usual,  some  time  at  the  island  before  the 
drogers  brought  round  our  cargo,  and  then  we  again 
sailed  for  England. 

** '  Well,  we  got  clear  of  the  islands,  and  were  getting 
well  north,  when  there  came  on  a  terrible  gale  of  wind 
which  dismasted  us  j  and  for  three  weeks  we  were  rolling 
about  gunnel  under,  for  we  were  very  heavily  laden  j  and 
we  lost  our  reckoning.  At  last  we  found  out  that  we  had 
been  blown  down  among  the  reefs  to  the  southward  of  the 
Bahama  Isles.  We  had  at  one  time  rigged  jury  masts,  but 
unfortunately  the  gale  had  blown  up  again,  and  carried 
them  also  over  the  side  j  and  we  had  no  means  of  doing 
anything,  for  we  had  no  more  small  spars  or  sails,  and  all 
our  hopes  were,  of  falling  in  with  some  vessel  which 
might  assist  us. 

**  *  But  we  had  no  such  good  fortune;  and  one  morning, 
when  a  heavy  sea  was  running,  we  discovered  that  it  was 
bearing  us  down  upon  a  reef  of  rocks,  from  which  there 
was  no  chance  of  escape.  We  had  no  resource  but  to  get 
the  boats  out,  and  take  our  chance  in  them.  The  captain 
was  very  cool  and  collected;  he  ordered  everything  in 
which  might  be  requisite;  called  up  the  men,  and  explained 
to  them  his  intentions.  All  the  water  and  provisions  were 
put  into  the  launch,  for  the  sea  ran  so  high  that  the  small 


Poor  Jack  63 

boats  could  not  carry  them ;  and  it  was  intended  that  all 
the  boats  should  keep  company  till  it  moderated,  and  then 
each  boat  should  have  its  own  supply.  When  all  was 
ready,  we  were  told  off  to  our  respective  boats.  The 
steward  and  his  wife  were  to  be  in  the  same  boat  with  me ; 
and  I  had  put  her  carefully  in  the  stern-sheets,  for  I  was 
her  great  friend.  Now  the  steward  was  called  out  by  the 
captain  to  go  for  something  which  had  been  forgotten ; 
and  while  he  was  away  the  ship  was  struck  by  a  heavy  sea, 
which  occasioned  such  a  breach  over  her  that  all  was  in 
confusion,  and,  to  prevent  the  small  boats  from  swamping, 
they  were  pushed  off.  The  launch  still  held  on  for  the 
captain,  who  hastened  in  with  the  mate  and  the  steward, 
for  they  were  the  only  three  left  on  board ;  and  away  we 
all  went.  I  mention  this  as  the  cause  why  the  steward 
was  separated  (only  for  a  time,  as  we  supposed)  from  his 
wife.  We  had  not  been  clear  of  the  ship  more  than  five 
minutes,  before  we  found  that  we,  in  our  boat,  could 
hardly  make  head  'gainst  the  wind  and  swell,  which  bore 
down  on  the  reef  close  to  us  ;  the  launch,  which  was  a 
heavy  pulling  boat  and  deeply  laden,  could  not ;  and  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  we  had  the  misery  to  see  her  in  the 
breakers,  swallowed  up  with  all  hands,  together  with  all 
the  provisions  and  water  for  our  sustenance.  I  will  not 
attempt  to  describe  the  agony  of  the  steward's  wife,  who 
saw  her  husband  perish  before  her  eyes.  She  fainted; 
and  it  was  a  long  time  before  she  came  to  again ;  for  no 
one  could  leave  his  oar  for  a  minute  to  assist  her,  as  we 
pulled  for  our  lives.  At  last  she  did  come  to.  Poor 
thing  !  I  felt  for  her.  Towards  night  the  wind  lulled,  and 
we  had  every  appearance  of  fine  weather  coming  on ;  but 
we  had  nothing  to  eat,  and  only  a  barrico  of  water  in  the 
boat,  and  we  were  quite  exhausted  with  fatigue. 

"  *  We  knew  that  we  must  pull  to  the  northward,  and 
try  and  fetch  the  Bahama  Isles,  or,  perhaps,  some  of  the 
small  quays  to  the  southward  of  them,  where  we  might 
procure  turtle,  and,  perhaps,  water  j  and  when  the  sea 
had  gone  down,  which  it  did  very  fast,  we  put  the  head 


64  Poor  Jack 

of  our  boat  in  that  direction,  pulling  all  night.  At  day- 
break, the  other  boat  was  not  to  be  seen ;  it  was  a  dead 
calm,  but  there  was  still  a  long  heavy  swell — we  shared 
out  some  water  and  rested  till  the  evening,  and  then  we 
took  to  our  oars  again. 

"  *  We  rowed  hard  till  the  morning,  but  when  the  sun 
rose  it  scorched  us  up ;  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  keep 
to  our  oars  without  drinking,  and  there  being  no  one  to 
take  the  command,  our  water  was  all  gone ;  and  we  had 
not  gained  fifty  miles  to  the  northward.  On  the  third 
morning  we  laid  down  exhausted  at  the  bottom  of  the 
boat — we  were  dying  not  only  with  thirst  but  with 
hunger  j  we  had  agreed  that  when  night  came  on  we 
would  take  to  the  oars  again ;  but  some  would  and  some 
would  not  i  so  that,  at  last,  those  who  had  taken  to  their 
oars  would  pull  no  longer. 

*•  *  The  steward's  wife  at  times  sang  psalms,  and  at 
times  wept :  she  had  a  very  sweet  voice ;  but  her  lips 
were  soon  glued  together  for  want  of  water,  and  she 
could  sing  no  longer. 

<c  t  "VVhen  the  sun  rose  on  the  fourth  day,  there  was  no- 
vessel  to  be  seen :  some  were  raving  for  water,  and  others 
sat  crouched  under  the  boat's  thwarts  in  silent  despair. 
But,  towards  evening,  the  sky  clouded  over,  and  there 
fell  a  heavy  rain,  which  refreshed  us.  We  took  the 
gown  from  off  the  steward's  wife,  and  spread  it,  and 
caught  the  water  ;  and  we  all  drank  until  our  thirst  was 
quenched, — even  our  wet  clothes  were  a  comfort  to  us  j 
— still  we  were  gnawed  with  hunger.  That  night  we 
slept ;  but  the  next  morning  every  man's  eyes  flashed, 
and  we  all  looked  as  if  we  would  eat  each  other ;  and 
there  were  whisperings  and  noddings  going  on  in  the 
bow  of  the  boat  j  and  a  negro  who  was  with  us  took  out 
his  knife,  and  sharpened  it  on  the  boat's  gunnel.  No  one 
asked  him  why.  We  spoke  not,  but  we  all  had  our  own 
thoughts.  It  was  dreadful  to  look  at  our  hollow  cheeks, 
—our  eyes  sunken  deep,  but  glaring  like  red-hot  coals, — 
our  long  beards  and  haggard  faces, — every  one  ready  to 


Poor  Jack  65 

raise  his  hand  against  the  other.  The  poor  woman  never 
complained  or  said  a  word  after  she  left  off  singing, — 
her  thoughts  appeared  elsewhere.  She  sat  for  hours 
motionless,  with  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  still  blue  water, 
as  if  she  would  pierce  its  depth. 

At  last  the  negro  came  aft  j  and  we  were  each  upon  our 
guard  as  he  passed  us,  for  we  had  seen  him  sharpen  his 
knife.  He  went  to  the  stern-sheets,  where  the  poor 
woman  sat,  and  we  all  knew  what  he  intended  to  do — for 
he  only  acted  our  own  thoughts.  She  was  still  hanging 
over  the  gunnel,  with  her  eyes  fixed  downwards,  and  she 
heeded  not  his  approach  :  he  caught  her  by  the  hair,  and 
dragged  her  head  towards  him.  She  then  held  out  her  arms 
towards  me,  faintly  calling  me  by  name  j  but  I — shame  on 
me — remained  sitting  on  the  after  thwart.  The  negro 
thrust  his  knife  into  her  neck,  below  the  ear ;  and,  as  soon 
as  he  had  divided  the  artery,  he  glued  his  thick  lips  to  the 
gash,  and  sucked  her  blood. 

<*  'When  the  deed  was  done,  others  rose  up  and  would 
have  shared ;  but  the  negro  kept  his  white  eyes  directed 
towards  them — one  arm  thrust  out,  with  his  knife  pointed 
at  them,  as  he  slaked  his  thirst,  while,  with  his  other 
round  her  waist,  he  supported  her  dying  frame.  The 
attitude  was  that  of  fondness,  while  the  deed  was — murder. 
He  appeared  as  if  he  were  caressing  her,  while  her  life's 
blood  poured  into  his  throat.  At  last  we  all  drew  our 
knives  j  and  the  negro  knew  that  he  must  resign  his  prey, 
or  his  life.  He  dropped  the  woman,  and  she  fell,  with  her 
face  forward,  at  my  feet.  She  was  quite  dead.  And  then 
— our  hunger  was  relieved. 

"  *  Three  days  passed  away,  and  again  we  were  mad  for 
want  of  water, — when  we  saw  a  vessel.  We  shouted,  and 
shook  hands,  and  threw  out  the  oars,  and  pulled  as  if  we 
had  never  sujfFered.  It  was  still  calm,  and,  as  we  approached 
the  vessel,  we  threw  what  remained  of  the  poor  woman 
into  the  sea;  and  the  sharks  finished  what  we  had  left. 
We  agreed  to  say  nothing  about  her  j  for  we  were  ashamed 
of  ourselves. 

P.J.  E 


66  Poor  Jack 

*'  *  Now,  I  did  not  murder,  but  I  did  not  prevent  it ;  and 
I  have  ever  since  been  haunted  by  this  poor  woman.  I  see 
her  and  the  negro  constantly  before  me  ;  and  then  I  think 
of  what  passed,  and  I  turn  sick.  I  feel  that  I  ought  to 
have  saved  her, — she  is  always  holding  out  her  arms  to  me, 
and  I  hear  her  faintly  call  "  Charles," — then  I  read  my  Bible 
— and  she  disappears,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  were  forgiven. — 
Tell  me,  what  do  you  think,  messmate  ? ' 

**  *  Why,'  replied  I,  *  sarcumstances  will  make  us  do 
what  we  otherwise  would  never  think  possible.  I  never 
was  in  such  a  predicament ;  and,  therefore,  can't  tell  what 
people  may  be  brought  to  do — but  tell  me,  messmate, 
what  was  the  name  of  the  poor  woman  ? ' 

**  *  The  husband's  name  was  Ben  Rivers.' 

**  *  Rivers,  did  you  say  ? '  replied  I,  struck  all  of  a  heap. 

"  *  Yes,'  replied  he  ;  '  that  was  her  name  ;  she  was  of 
this  town ; — but  never  mind  the  name, — tell  me  what  you 
think,  messmate  ? ' 

"  '  Well,'  says  I  (for  I  was  quite  bewildered),  *  I'll  tell 
you  what,  old  fellow — as  far  as  I'm  consarned,  you  have 
my  forgiveness,  and  now  I  must  wish  you  good-bye — and 
I  pray  to  God  that  we  may  never  meet  again.' 

*• '  Stop  a  little,'  said  he  ;  *  don't  leave  me  this  way — 
Ah  !  I  see  how  it  is — you  think  I'm  a  murderer.' 

•"No  I  don't,'  replied  I ;  *  not  exactly — still  there'll  be 
no  harm  in  your  reading  your  Bible.* 

*•  And  so  I  got  up,  and  walked  out  of  the  room — for  you 
see.  Jack,  although  he  mayn't  have  been  so  much  to  blame, 
still  I  didn't  like  to  be  in  company  with  a  man  who  had 
eaten  up  my  own  mother  I " 

Here  Ben  paused,  and  sighed  deeply.  I  was  so  much 
shocked  with  the  narrative,  that  I  could  not  say  a  word. 
At  last  Ben  continued  : — 

*'  I  couldn't  stay  in  the  room — I  couldn't  stay  in  the 
workhouse.  I  couldn't  even  stay  in  the  town.  Before  the 
day  closed,  I  was  out  of  it — and  I  have  never  been  there 
since.  Now,  Jack,  I  must  go  in — remember  what  I  have 
said  to  you ;  and  larn  to  read  your  Bible." 


Poor  Jack  67 

I  promised  that  I  would,  and  that  very  evening  I  had  my 
first  lesson  from  Peter  Anderson — and  I  continued  to 
receive  them  until  I  could  read  well.  He  then  taught  me 
to  write  and  cipher  ;  but  before  I  could  do  the  latter,  many 
events  occurred,  which  must  be  made  known  to  the  reader. 


Chapter  XI 

In  which  the  doctor  lets  out  some  very  novel  modes  of  medical  treatment, 
which  are  attended  with  the  greatest  success. 

Such  a  change  has  taken  place  since  I  can  first  recollect 
Greenwich,  that  it  will  be  somewhat  difficult  for  me  to 
make  the  reader  aware  of  my  localities.  Narrow  streets 
have  been  pulled  down,  handsome  buildings  erected — new 
hotels  in  lieu  of  small  inns — gay  shops  have  now  usurped 
those  which  were  furnished  only  with  articles  necessary 
for  the  outfit  of  the  seamen.  Formerly,  long  stages,  with 
a  basket  to  hold  six  behind,  and  dillies  which  plied  at  the 
Elephant  and  Castle,  were  the  usual  land  conveyances — 
now  they  have  made  place  for  railroads  and  omnibuses. 
Formerly,  the  wherry  conveyed  the  mariner  and  his  wife 
with  his  sea-chest,  down  to  the  landing-place — now  steam- 
boats pour  out  their  hundreds  at  a  trip.  Even  the  view 
from  Greenwich  is  much  changed,  here  and  there  broken 
in  upon  by  the  high  towers  for  shot  and  other  manufac- 
tories, or  some  large  building  which  rises  boldly  in  the 
distance  ;  while  the  Dreadnought's  splendid  frame  fills  up 
half  the  river,  and  she  that  was  used  to  deal  out  death  and 
destruction  with  her  terrible  rows  of  teeth,  is  now 
dedicated  by  humanity  to  succour  and  relieve. 

I  mention  this,  because  the  house  in  which  Doctor 
Tadpole  formerly  lived  no  longer  exists ;  and  I  wish 
particularly  to  describe  it  to  the  reader. 

When  I  left  Greenwich  in  18 1 7  or  1818,  it  was  still 
standing  j  although  certainly  in  a  very  dilapidated  state.  I 
will  however  give  a  slight  sketch  of  itj  as  it  is  deeply 
impressed  on  my  memory. 


68  Poor  Jack 

It  was  a  tall  narrow  building  of  dark  red  brick,  much 
ornamented,  and  probably  built  in  the  time  of  Queen 
Elizabeth.  It  had  two  benches  on  each  side  the  door  j 
for,  previous  to  Tadpole's  taking  possession  of  it,  it  had 
been  an  alehouse,  and  much  frequented  by  seamen.  The 
doctor  had  not  removed  these  benches,  as  they  were 
convenient,  when  the  weather  was  fine,  for  those  who 
waited  for  medicine  or  advice ;  and  moreover,  being 
a  jocular  sociable  man,  he  liked  people  to  sit  down  there, 
and  would  often  converse  with  them.  Indeed,  this  assisted 
much  to  bring  him  into  notice,  and  made  him  so  well 
known  among  the  humbler  classes,  that  none  of  them,  if 
they  required  medicine  or  advice,  ever  thought  of  going  to 
any  one  but  Doctor  Tadpole.  He  was  very  liberal  and  kind, 
and  I  believe  there  was  hardly  a  poor  person  in  the  town, 
who  was  not  in  his  debt,  for  he  never  troubled  them  much 
about  payment.  He  had  some  little  property  of  his  own,. 
or  he  never  could  have  carried  on  such  a  losing  concern, 
as  his  business  really  must  have  been  to  him.  In  early 
life,  he  had  been  a  surgeon  in  the  navy  j  and  was  said, 
and  I  believe  with  justice,  to  be  very  clever  in  his  pro- 
fession. In  defending  himself  against  some  act  of  oppres- 
sion on  the  part  of  his  captain — for  in  those  times  the 
service  was  very  different  to  what  it  is  now — he  had 
incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  navy  board,  and  had  left 
the  service.  His  enemies  (for  even  the  doctor  had  his 
enemies)  asserted  that  he  was  turned  out  of  the  service ; 
his  friends,  that  he  left  the  service  in  disgust ;  after  all  a 
matter  of  little  consequence.  The  doctor  is  now  gone, 
and  has  left  behind  him  in  the  town  of  Greenwich  a 
character  for  charity  and  generosity  of  which  no  one  can 
deprive  him.  He  was  buried  in  Greenwich  churchyard  j 
and  never  was  there,  perhaps,  such  a  numerous  procession 
as  voluntarily  followed  his  remains  to  the  grave.  The 
poor  fully  paid  him  the  debt  of  gratitude,  if  they  did  not 
pay  him  their  other  debts  ;  and  when  his  will  was  opened, 
it  was  found  that  he  had  released  them  all  from  the  latter. 
Peace  be  to  him,  and  honour  to  his  worth. 


Poor  Jack  69 

The  shop  of  Doctor  Tadpole  was  fitted  up  in  a  very 
curious  manner,  and  excited  a  great  deal  of  admiration. 
During  his  service  afloat,  he  had  collected  various  objects 
of  natural  history,  which  he  had  set  up  or  prepared  him- 
self :  the  lower  row  of  bottles  in  the  windows  were  full 
of  snakes,  lizards,  and  other  reptiles ;  the  second  tier  of 
bottles  in  the  window  were  the  same  as  are  now  generally 
seen — large  globes  containing  blue  and  yellow  mixtures, 
with  gold  hieroglyphics  outside  of  them  ;  but  between 
each  of  these  bottles  was  a  stuffed  animal  of  some  kind, 
generally  a  small  monkey,  or  of  that  description.  The 
third  row  of  bottles  was  the  most  incomprehensible ;  no 
one  could  tell  what  was  in  them;  and  the  doctor,  when 
asked,  would  laugh  and  shake  his  head :  this  made  the 
women  very  curious.  I  believe  they  were  chiefly  prepara- 
tions of  the  stomach,  and  other  portions  of  the  interior  of 
the  animal  frame ;  but  the  doctor  always  said  that  it  was 
his  row  of  "  secrets : "  and  used  to  amuse  himself  with 
evading  the  questions  of  the  other  sex.  There  were  some 
larger  specimens  of  natural  history  suspended  from  the 
ceiling,  chiefly  skulls  and  bones  of  animals  ;  and  on  the 
shelves  inside  a  great  variety  of  stones  and  pebbles  and 
fragments  of  marble  figures,  which  the  doctor  had  picked 
up  I  believe  in  the  Mediterranean;  altogether  the  shop 
was  a  strange  medley,  and  made  people  stare  very  much 
when  they  came  into  it.  The  doctor  kept  an  old  woman 
to  cook  and  clean  the  house,  and  his  boy  Tom,  whom  I 
have  already  mentioned.  Tom  was  a  good-natured  lad, 
and,  as  his  master  said,  very  fond  of  liquorice ;  but  the 
doctor  used  to  laugh  at  that  (when  Tom  was  not  by), 
saying,  "It's  very  true  that  Tom  cribs  my  liquorice;  but  I 
will  say  this  for  him,  he  is  very  honest  about  jalap  and 
rhubarb,  and  I  have  never  missed  a  grain." 

Next  door  to  the  doctor  lived  another  person,  who  kept 
a  small  tobacconist's  shop,  which  was  a  favourite  resort  of 
the  pensioners  and  other  poor  people.  She  was  an  Irish- 
woman, with  the  strong  accent  of  her  country,  a  widow 
by  her  own  account.    Who  her  husband  had  been  was  not 


70  Poor  Jack 

satisfactorily  known :  if  the  question  was  put,  she  always 
evaded  it  as  much  as  possible.  All  she  said  was,  that  his 
name  was  St  Felix,  and  that  he  had  been  of  no  profession. 
She  was  about  twenty-two  or  twenty-three,  very  handsome, 
and  very  pleasing  in  her  manners,  which  was  perhaps  one 
cause  of  the  surmises  and  scandal  which  were  continually 
afloat.  Some  said  that  her  husband  was  still  alive  ;  others, 
that  he  had  been  transported  for  seven  years ;  and  many 
(and  among  them  my  mother)  declared  that  she  could  not 
produce  her  "  marriage  lines."  Indeed  there  was  no  end 
to  ill-natured  reports,  as  always  will  be  the  case,  when 
men  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  have  a  reputation,  or  women 
so  unfortunate  as  to  be  pretty.  But  the  widow  appeared 
to  be  very  indifferent  to  what  people  said :  she  was  always 
lively  and  cheerful,  and  a  great  favourite  with  the  men, 
whatever  she  may  have  been  with  the  women.  Doctor 
Tadpole  had  courted  her  ever  since  she  had  settled  at 
Greenwich :  they  were  the  best  of  friends,  but  the  doctor's 
suit  did  not  appear  to  advance.  Nevertheless  the  doctor 
seldom  passed  a  day  without  paying  her  a  visit,  and  she 
was  very  gracious  to  him.  Although  she  sold  every 
variety  of  tobacco,  she  would  not  permit  people  to  smoke, 
and  had  no  seats  either  in  the  shop  or  at  the  door — but  to 
this  rule  an  exception  was  made  in  favour  of  the  doctor. 
He  seldom  failed  to  be  there  every  evening  ;  and  although 
she  would  not  allow  him  a  chair,  she  permitted  him  to 
remain  standing  at  the  counter,  and  smoke  his  cigar  while 
they  conversed.  It  was  this  indulgence  which  occasioned 
people  to  think  that  she  would  marry  the  doctor ;  but  at 
last  they  got  tired  of  waiting,  and  it  became  a  sort  of 
proverb  in  Fisher's  Alley,  and  its  precincts,  when  things 
were  put  off  to  an  indefinite  period,  to  say,  *'  Yes,  that 
will  be  done  when  the  widow  marries  the  doctor." 

One  evening,  Ben  had  sent  me  to  fill  his  tobacco  box  at 
Mrs  St  Felix's,  and  when  I  went  in,  I  found  the  doctor  in 
her  shop. 

"  Well,  Master  Tom  Saunders,  or  Mr  Poor  Jack,"  said 
the  widow,  "  what  may  your  pleasure  be  ?  " 


Poor  Jack  71 

"  Pigtail,"  said  I,  putting  down  the  penny. 

"  Is  it  for  your  father,  Jack,  for  report  tells  me  that  he's 
in  want  of  it  ? " 

"  No,"  replied  I,  "  it's  for  old  Ben — father's  a  long  way 
from  this,  I  expect." 

"  And  do  you  intend  to  follow  him,  Jack  ?  It's  my 
opinion  you'll  be  the  very  revarse  of  a  good  sailor  if  you 
cruise  bottom  up  as  you  did  on  your  first  voyage." 

"  It's  not  the  pleasantest  way  of  sailing,  is  it.  Jack  ? " 
observed  the  doctor. 

"  Not  in  winter  time,"  replied  I. 

The  widow  measured  the  length  of  the  pigtail,  as 
milliners  do  tape,  from  the  tip  of  the  finger  to  the  knuckle, 
and  cut  it  off. 

"  And  now  will  you  oblige  me  with  a  cigar  ?  "  said  the 
doctor.  "  I  think  this  is  the  sixth,  is  it  not,  Mrs  St  Felix  ? 
so  here's  my  shilling." 

"  Really,  doctor,  if  it  were  not  that  the  wry  faces  I  make 
at  physic  would  spoil  my  beauty,  I'm  almost  in  honour 
bound  to  send  for  something  to  take  out  of  your  shop,  just 
by  way  of  return  for  your  patronage." 

"  I  trust  you  will  never  require  it,  Mrs  St  Felix ;  I've 
no  objection  to  your  sending  for  anything  you  please,  but 
don't  take  physic." 

**  Well,  my  girl  Jane  shall  have  a  dose,  I  declare,  she 
is  getting  so  fat  and  lumpy.  Only  don't  let  it  be  laudanum, 
doctor,  she's  so  sleepy-headed  already.  I  told  her  this 
morning  that  she  was  looking  pale,  just  by  way  of  pre- 
paring her." 

**  Mrs  St  Felix,  you  must  excuse  me,  but  you've  no  right 
to  interfere  with  my  practice.  I  prescribe  physic  when  I 
think  it  necessary,  and  Jane  is  perfectly  well  at  present,  and 
shall  not  have  any." 

"  And  you've  no  right  to  interfere  with  my  household, 
doctor.  If  I  choose,  I'll  physic  Jane,  and  the  dog,  and  the 
cat,  and  the  kitten,  which  I  reckon  to  be  the  whole  of  my 
establishment,  all  four  of  them  on  the  same  day.  Tell 
me,  doctor,  how  much  ipecacuanha  will  make  a  kitten  sick  ? " 


72'  Poor  Jack 

"  Mrs  St  Felix,  I  am  not  a  veterinary  surgeon,  and  there- 
fore cannot  answer." 

"  Veterinary !  Well,  I  thought  they  only  doctored 
horses." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  their  practice  extends  further,  as  I 
can  prove  to  you.  I  was  once  at  the  establishment  of  one 
in  London,  and  I  observed,  in  a  large  room,  about  a  dozen 
little  lap-dogs  all  tied  up  with  strings.  The  poor  little  un- 
wieldy waddling  things  were  sent  to  him  because  they  were 
asthmatic,  and  I  don't  know  what  all — and  how  do  you 
think  he  cured  them  ?  " 

"  It's  for  me  to  ask  that  question,  doctor." 

**  Well  then,  he  told  me  his  secret.  He  tied  them  all 
up,  and  gave  them  nothing  to  eat,  only  water  to  drink ; 
and  in  three  weeks  they  were  returned  in  as  beautiful  con- 
dition, and  as  frisky  as  young  kids.  Nothing  but  diet,  Mrs 
St  Felix." 

**  I  should  rather  think  it  was  no  diet,  doctor.  Well,  I 
do  declare,  I'll  tie  up  Jane  for  three  weeks,  and  see  if 
nothing  but  water  will  cure  her  complaints. — Well,  Mr 
Jack,  why  don't  you  take  the  tobacco  to  Ben  ?  " 

**  Oh  !  he's  in  at  supper  now ;  there's  no  hurry,"  replied 
I ;  "  and  I  like  to  hear  you  talk." 

"  Well,  there'll  be  less  scandal  in  your  remaining  to  hear 
us  than  there  would  be  if  we  sent  you  away,  anyhow. 
How's  little  Miss  Virginia,  sister  to  Poor  Jack  ? " 

'*  She's  quite  well,  and  wants  to  come  and  see  you  ;  only 
mother  won't  let  her." 

*'  Many  thanks  to  your  sister  for  her  compliment  j  and 
not  forgetting  your  mother  for  hers,  also.  So  your  mother 
has  given  up  *  making  toy  on  reasonable  terms  '  ?  " 

**  'Cause  people  wouldn't  come." 

*'  And  that  is  a  sufficient  reason,  even  if  she  had  not 
another  j  which  is,  that  she's  never  out  of  hot  water, 
without  boiling  more.  Doctor,  you're  as  mute  as  a  fish. 
You  told  me  how  to  cure  Jane  and  the  dogs  ;  now  tell  me 
what's  the  dose  for  a  cat  and  a  kitten." 

"  A  ha'p'orth  of  liver,  cut  into  small  pieces." 


Poor  Jack  73; 

•*  There'll  be  no  difficulty  in  getting  that  down  their 
throats,  anyhow." 

**  Talking  about  liver,  Mrs  St  Felix,  I  once  knew  a 
friend  of  mine  who  cured  some  geese  of  a  liver  com- 
plaint." 

"Had  they  been  long  in  the  East  Indies,  poor  creatures?" 

**  No,  but  they  had  been  in  a  very  hot  climate.  You 
see,  he  was  over  in  France  during  the  last  peace,  and  he 
went  to  the  baths  at  Montpelier  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health.  He  lodged  with  an  old  Frenchman.  Now,  you 
see,  Mrs  St  Felix,  in  the  south  of  France  they  have  a 
custom  of  making  certain  pies,  which  are  much  esteemed, 
and  are  called  pates  de  foie  grasy — that  means  livers  of 
geese,  in  French." 

"It  don't  sound  much  like  livers  in  English,  doctor ; 
but  never  mind  that,  go  on  with  your  story." 

**  Here's  a  customer,  Mrs  St  Felix ;  serve  him  first,  and 
then  I  will  go  on  with  my  story." 

An  old  pensioner  came  in,  and  laying  the  coppers  on 
the  counter,  asked  for  a  ha'p'orth  of  returns,  and  a 
farthing  of  snuiF. 

**  That's  a  large  ready  money  order,  doctor,"  said  the 
widow,  as  the  man  left  the  shop.  "  Ain't  I  making  my 
fortune  ?  Now  go  on ;  I'm  as  eager  about  the  liver  as  my 
own  cat." 

"Well,  the  great  object  is  to  increase  the  size  of  the 
geese's  livers,  that  is,  to  bring  on  a  regular  liver  complaint; 
and,  to  effect  this,  they  put  the  poor  animals  in  a  hot 
closet,  next  the  kitchen  fire, — cram  the  food  into  their 
mouths  through  a  funnel,  and  give  them  plenty  of  water 
to  drink.  This  produces  the  disease ;  and  the  livers  of 
the  geese,  when  they  are  killed,  very  often  weigh  three 
or  four  pounds,  while  the  animals  themselves  are  mere 
skeletons." 

"  And  the  French  eat  those  liver  complaints  ? " 
interrupted  the  widow,  making  a  face. 

**  Yes,  they  do,  and  are  as  fond  of  it  as  my  boy  Tom 
is  of  liquorice.     Well,   this   doctor,  who  is  a  friend  of 


74  Poor  Jack 

mine,  quarrelled  with  his  host,  who  boasted  of  his  geese 
having  the  largest  livers  in  Montpelier,  and  was  very 
proud  of  it.  My  friend  knew  that  he  could  not  annoy 
him  more  than  by  preventing  his  success  -,  so,  having  a 
large  quantity  of  Cheltenham  salts  with  him,  he  used 
every  morning  to  put  a  quantity  of  them  in  the  water 
which  the  geese  were  given  to  drink.  This  had  the  same 
effect  upon  them  as  it  has  upon  men  and  women ;  and, 
instead  of  becoming  more  diseased  every  day,  the  geese 
recovered  their  health  and  spirits.  The  Frenchman 
crammed  and  crammed,  made  his  closet  still  hotter,  and 
sacre-bleu'd,  and  actually  tore  his  hair,  because  his  geese 
would  be  well  and  hearty ;  but,  the  more  he  tried  to 
make  them  ill,  the  more  salts  were  given  to  them  by 
the  doctor,  who  gained  his  point  and  his  revenge." 

"  Well,  that's  a  funny  story,  doctor ;  and,  since  you 
know  how  to  cure  it,  the  first  time  I  meet  with  a  sick 
goose,  I'll  send  him  to  you." 

"  Many  thanks ;  but,  as  it  is,  there's  plenty  of  geese 
to  send  for  the  doctor." 

"  That's  true  enough ;  and  now  Master  Jack,  you've 
had  quite  enough  for  your  penny,  and  I  won't  allow  Ben 
to  be  kept  waiting  any  longer." 

"  You  are  not  going  to  tell  any  more  stories,  doctor  ? " 
said  I. 

"  Why,  you  mud-larking  vagabond,  you  don't  mean  to 
say  that  I've  told  stories  ?  Be  off  with  you  !  And,  I  say, 
as  you  pass  round  the  corner,  just  tell  Tom  that  I'm 
coming  home  directly," 

"  Won't  that  be  a  story,  doctor  ? "  said  I,  as  I  went  out 
of  the  door.  I  heard  them  both  laugh,  but  I  did  not  hear 
what  they  said. 


Poor  Jack  75 


Chapter  XII 

I  prefer  a  suit  to  old  Nanny,  and  procure  a  new  suit  of  clothes.    The 
advantage  of  being  well  dressed — you  may  walk  out  with  the  ladies. 

The  reader  must  not  give  me  too  much  credit,  when  I 
tell  him  that,  ever  since  I  had  been  under  the  tuition  of 
Peter  Anderson,  I  had  quite  a  craving  to  go  to  church. 
Although  what  I  had  gained  from  his  precepts  and 
explanations  had  increased  my  desire,  still  I  must  acknow- 
ledge that  the  strongest  reason  for  my  being  so  anxious 
was,  that  my  mother  would  not  take  me,  and  did  take 
Virginia.  Further,  my  curiosity  was  excited  by  my 
absolute  ignorance  of  what  the  church  service  consisted ; 
I  had  heard  the  bells  toll,  and,  as  I  sauntered  by,  would 
stop  and  listen  to  the  organ  and  the  singing.  I  would 
sometimes  wait,  and  see  the  people  coming  out ;  and  then 
I  could  not  help  comparing  my  ragged  dress  with  their 
clean  and  gay  attire. 

This  wish  continually  worried  me;  but  the  more  I 
reflected,  the  more  impossible  it  appeared  to  be  that  I 
should  be  able  to  gratify  it.  How  could  I  possibly  go 
to  church  in  my  tattered  and  dirty  clothes — and  what 
chance  had  I  of  getting  others  ?  I  certainly  gained,  at 
an  average,  eighteenpence  per  week,  but  I  saved  nothing. 
Would  my  mother  give  me  clothes  ?  No,  that  I  was 
sure  she  would  not ;  for  she  grudged  me  even  the  little 
victuals  which  I  did  apply  for.  I  thought  this  matter 
over  and  over  as  I  lay  in  bed.  Ben  had  no  money. 
Anderson  I  could  not  ask  for  it.  I  thought  that  I  would 
apply  to  Doctor  Tadpole,  but  I  was  afraid.  At  last,  it 
came  into  my  head  that  I  had  better  first  ascertain  how 
much  money  I  should  require  before  I  took  further  measures. 
The  next  morning  I  went  to  a  fitting-out  shop,  and  asked 
the  lad  who  attended  how  much  money  I  should  have  to 
pay  for  a  pair  of  blue  trousers,  waistcoat,  and  jacket. 
The  lad  told  me  that  I  might  have  a  very  nice  suit  for 


y6  Poor  Jack 

twenty-two  shillings.  Twenty-two  shillings  !  What  an 
enormous  sum  it  appeared  to  me  then  j  and  then  there 
was  a  straw  hat  to  buy,  and  a  pair  of  shoes  and  stockings. 
I  inquired  the  price  of  these  last  articles,  and  found  that 
my  dress  could  not  be  made  complete  under  thirty-three 
shillings.  I  was  quite  in  despair,  for  the  sum  appeared 
to  be  a  fortune.  I  sat  down  to  calculate  how  long  it 
would  take  me  to  save  up  so  much  money,  at  sixpence 
a  week,  which  was  all  that  I  could  afford;  but,  at  that 
time,  never  having  learnt  anything  of  figures,  all  I  could 
make  of  it  was,  that  it  was  so  long  a  time  as  to  be  beyond 
my  calculation. 

It  was  Saturday  evening, — I  sat  down  on  the  steps  of 
the  landing-place,  very  melancholy,  thinking  that  to-morrow 
was  Sunday,  and  abandoning  all  hopes  of  ever  going  to 
church,  when  a  Thames  fisherman,  of  the  name  of  Freeman, 
who  lived  at  Greenwich,  and  with  whom  I  was  acquainted 
— for  I  used  to  assist  him  on  the  Saturday  night  to  moor 
his  coble  off  the  landing-place,  and  hang  up  his  nets  to 
dry — called  out  to  me  to  come  and  help  him.  I  did  so ; 
we  furled  the  sails,  hauled  on  board  his  little  boat  for 
keeping  the  fish  alive,  hoisted  the  nets  up  to  the  mast, 
and  made  all  secure ;  and  I  was  thinking  to  myself  that 
he  would  go  to  church  to-morrow,  and  I  could  not,  when 
he  asked  me  why  I  was  so  sad.     I  told  him. 

*'  Why,  Jack,"  said  he,  "  I  can't  help  you,  for  it  is  bad 
times  with  me  just  now;  indeed,  I  could  help  you  but 
little  if  times  were  ever  so  good  j  I've  too  many  children 
of  my  own ; — but  look  ye,  here's  a  good  long  piece  of 
four-inch,  which  I  picked  up,  and  it's  well  worth  a  shilling. 
I'll  give  it  you  (for  I  do  owe  you  something),  and  do  you 
take  it  to  old  Nanny.  She's  a  queer  body ;  but,  suppose 
you  try  whether  she'll  let  you  have  the  money.  She  can, 
if  she  chooses,  and,  as  you  have  dealt  with  her  so  long, 
perhaps  she  will,  if  you  promise  to  lay  some  by  every 
week,  and  repay  her." 

This  idea  had  never  occurred  to  me,  for  I  knew  old 
Nanny  was  very  close,  and  drove  very  hard  bargains  with 


Poor  Jack  ^ 

me ;  however,  I  thanked  Freeman  for  his  piece  of  rope 
and  piece  of  advice,  and  when  we  landed,  I  determined, 
at  all  events,  I  would  try. 

I  have  before  mentioned  old  Nanny,  who  kept  a  marine 
store,  and  to  M'hom  I  used  to  sell  whatever  I  picked  up 
on  the  beach.  She  was  a  strange  old  woman,  and  appeared 
to  know  everything  that  was  going  on.  How  she  gained 
her  information,  I  cannot  tell.  She  was  very  miserly  in 
general ;  but  it  was  said  she  had  done  kind  things  in  one 
or  two  instances.  Nobody  knew  her  history :  all  that 
anybody  knew  was  that  she  was  Old  Nanny.  She  had 
no  kith  or  kin  that  she  ever  mentioned  j  some  people  said 
she  was  rich,  if  the  truth  were  known ;  but  how  are  we 
to  get  at  the  truth  in  this  world  ? 

I  was  soon  at  Old  Nanny's  store,  with  the  piece  of  rope 
coiled  over  my  arm. 

"  Well,  Jack,  what  have  you  got  here  ;  a  piece  of  good 
junk  ?  no,  it  is  not,  for  it  is  quite  rotten.  "Why  do  you 
bring  me  such  things  ?     What  can  I  do  with  them  ?  " 

"  Why,  mother,"  says  I,  "  it's  new  rope ;  not  been  used 
hardly  5  it's  the  very  best  of  junk." 

"  Boy,  boy  !  do  you  pretend  to  teach  me  ?  Well,  what 
do  you  want  for  it  ? " 

"  I  want  a  shilling,"  replied  I. 

**  A  shilling ! "  cried  she,  **  where  am  I  to  find  a 
shilling  ?  And  if  I  could  find  one,  why  should  I  throw  it 
away  upon  a  thing  not  worth  twopence,  and  which  will 
only  lumber  my  store  till  I  die  ?     The  boy's  demented  ! " 

**  Mother,"  says  I,  "  it's  worth  a  shilling,  and  you  know 
it  J  so  give  it  to  me,  or  I  go  elsewhere." 

**  And  where  will  you  go  to,  good-for-nothing  that  you 
are  ?  where  will  you  go  to  ? " 

*•  Oh  !  the  fishermen  will  give  me  more." 

*•  The  fishermen  will  give  you  a  couple  of  stale  flat-fish 
to  take  home  to  your  mother." 

"  Well,  I'll  try  that,"  said  I,  going. 

"  Not  so  fast,  Jack,  not  so  fast ;  if  I  make  a  penny  by 
you  one  day,  I  suppose,  to  keep  your  custom,  I  must  lose 


78  Poor  Jack 

something  by  you  the  next.     Now,  I'll  give  you  sixpence  : 
and  how  I'm  to  get  my  money  back,  I  don't  know." 
*'  No,  Nanny,"  said  I,  **  I  must  have  a  shilling." 
*'  A  shilling,  you  little  cheat,  I  can't  give  it ;  but  what 
do  you  want  ?  don't  you  want  a  key  to  your  chest,  or 
something  of  that  sort  ? " 

"  I've  no  chest,  mother ;  and  therefore  don't  want  a  key." 
"  But  you  want  something  out  of  all  the  pretty  things 
in  my  shop  j  boys  always  fancy  something." 

I  laughed  at  the  idea  of  *'  pretty  things  "  in  her  shop  ; 
for  it  contained  nothing  but  old  iron,  empty  bottles,  dirty 
rags  and  vials  j  so  I  told  her  there  was  nothing  that  I 
wanted. 

*'  Well,"  says  she,  "  sit  down  a  little,  and  look  about 
you ;  there's  no  hurry.  So  Mrs  East  has  got  another  boy, 
worse  luck  for  the  parish,  with  six  children  already  ! — 
Look  about  you,  and  take  your  time. — Did  you  hear  of 
Peter  James  giving  his  wife  a  black  eye  last  night,  because 
she  wanted  to  get  him  out  of  the  alehouse.  I  wonder  who 
that  letter  was  from  that  Susan  Davis  had  from  the  post 
office.  I  think  I  could  guess  ; — poor  girl !  she  has  looked 
rather  peaking  for  some  weeks. — Don't  be  in  a  hurry. 
Jack ;  look  about ;  there's  plenty  of  pretty  things  in  my 
shop. — So  Davis  the  butcher  has  been  pulled  up  for  bad 
meat ;  I  thought  it  would  come  to  that,  and  I'm  glad  of  it. 
— There's  a  capital  lock  and  key,  Jack,  to  put  to  your 
chest,  when  you  get  one  ;  suppose  you  take  that. — What's 
the  Doctor  about  ?  They  say  he  is  always  sitting  with  the 
widow. — Does  your  mother  make  plenty  of  money  by 
clear-starching  ?  I  know  your  sister  had  a  spotted  musHn 
frock  on  last  Sunday,  and  that  must  have  cost  something. 
— There's  a  spade.  Jack;  very  useful  to  dig  on  the  beach; 
you  may  find  something — money  perhaps, — who  knows  ? 
Take  the  spade,  Jack,  and  then  you'll  owe  me  sixpence. — 
So  Bill  Freeman  pawned  his  wife's  best  gown  last  Saturday 
night.  I  thought  it  would  be  so.  He  may  say  it's  because 
he's  caught  no  fish  this  bad  weather.  But  I  know  more 
than   people  think. — Here's   a  nice    glass    bottle,   Jack, 


Poor  Jack  79 

wouldn't  you  like  to  give  it  to  your  mother,  to  put  pickles 
in ;  it's  white  glass,  you  see. — Look  about,  Jack ;  there's 
plenty  of  pretty  things,  you  see. — So  the  Governor's 
daughter's  going  to  be  married ;  at  least  I  suppose  so,  for 
I  met  her  riding  with  a  young  gentleman  ;  and  now-a-days 
the  quality  always  make  love  on  horseback. — Well,  Jack, 
have  you  found  anything  ?  " 

"No,  mother,  I  hav'n't ;  and  I  must  have  my  shilling 
or  go.  Unless,  indeed,  you're  inclined  to  help  me  to 
what  I  want,  and  then  I'll  give  you  the  rope  for  nothing." 

**  Give  me  the  rope  for  nothing  !  "  replied  old  Nanny. 
**  Sit  down.  Jack,  and  let  me  know  what  it  is  you  want." 

I  thought  it  was  of  little  use  to  make  the  application, 
but  I  determined  to  try  j  so  I  explained  my  wishes. 

"  Humph  ! "  said  she,  after  a  minute's  thought,  **  so 
you  want  thirty-three  shillings  to  buy  clothes — to  go  to 
church  in.  Your  mother  dresses  your  sister  in  spotted 
muslin,  and  leaves  you  in  rags ; — suppose  you  wait  till 
your  father  comes  home  again  ?  " 

**  That  may  not  be  for  years." 

"Why,  Jack,  I  don't  go  to  church — I  am  too  old — 
too  poor  to  dress  myself  to  go  to  church,  even  if  I  could 
go  so  far, — why  should  you  go  ? " 

"Well,  mother,"  said  I,  rising  up,  "if  you  will  not 
do  it,  I'm  very  sorry;  I  would  have  paid  you  honestly, 
and  have  given  you  good  bargains,  so  good-bye." 

"  Not  so  fast.  Jack, — sit  down,  sit  down,  boy, — look 
about  the  shop  and  see  if  you  can  find  something  that 
will  suit  you."  Here  Nanny  communed  with  herself 
aloud : — "  Thirty-three  shillings  !  that's  a  great  deal  of 
money, — pay  me  honestly, — and  good  bargains  !  His 
mother  called  me  an  old  cat  the  other  day  j — I  think 
they  could  be  got  cheaper,  they  always  cheat  boys ; — 
she'd  be  vexed  to  see  him  dressed  clean  at  church  j — 
honest  boy,  I  do  believe ; — a  boy  that  wants  to  go  to 
church  must  be  a  good  boy. — Oh,  dear  me,  it  is  so  much 
money ! " 

"  I'll  work  day  and  night  to  pay  you,  Nanny." 


8o  Poor  Jack 

**  And  mind,  Jack,  I'm  to  have  good  bargains, — and 
this  piece  of  rope  for  nothing  j — something  paid  every 
week." 

"  If  I  can  earn  it,  mother,  as  sure  as  I  sit  here." 

"Well,  the  old  cat  will  do  more  for  you.  Jack,  than 
your  mother  would.  You  shall  have  the  money ;  but. 
Jack,  I  must  bargain  for  the  things." 

"  Thank  you,  Nanny,  thank  you ! "  replied  I,  jumping 
off  my  seat  with  delight. 

"Well,  we  can  do  nothing  to-night.  Jack.  Come  to 
me  on  Monday,  and  if  I  don't  change  my  mind " 

"  Change  your  mind !  "  said  I,  sorrowfully.  "  I 
thought  you  had  promised  ! " 

"  Well,  so  I  did — and — and  I'll  keep  my  promise,  Jack. 
Come  on  Monday,  and  as  you  can't  go  to  church  to- 
morrow, see  if  you  can't  pick  up  a  little  money." 

I  did  not  neglect  her  injunctions,  and  was  fortunate 
enough  to  be  able  to  bring  her  sixpence  on  the  Monday 
morning.  Nanny  went  with  me  to  the  clothing  shop, 
haggled  and  fought  until  she  reduced  the  articles  to 
twenty-eight  shillings,  and  then  they  were  ordered  to 
be  made  and  sent  to  her  house.  I  earned  but  little  money 
that  week,  and  more  than  once  Nanny  appeared  to  be  very 
unhappy,  and  repent  of  her  kind  offices  ;  but  when  Sunday 
came  she  was  very  cheerful ;  she  washed  me  herself  very 
carefully,  and  then  put  on  my  clothes.  I  cannot  express 
the  delight  I  felt  at  that  moment ;  when  Nanny  said  to 
me,  as  she  placed  the  hat  on  my  head — 

"Well,  Jack,  I  wouldn't  have  thought  that  you  were 
such  a  handsome  boy  as  you  are.  Why,  you  may  walk 
with  your  sister  Virginia,  and  she  will  have  nothing  to  be 
ashamed  of,  pretty  as  she  is.  There,  now,  go  and  show 
yourself ;  and,  Jack,  don't  forget  your  promise  to  pay  me 
back  soon,  and  give  me  good  bargains  !  " 

I  repeated  my  promise,  and  hastened  to  the  Hospital  to 
find  Peter  Anderson.  He  did  not  know  me  when  I  came 
up  to  him.  I  told  him  how  and  why  I  had  got  the 
clothes  i  he  patted  my  head,  said  I  was  a  good  lad,  and 


Poor  Jack  81 

that  he  xvould  take  me  to  the  chapel  at  the  Hospital,  where 
I  could  sit  with  the  school-children;  he  could  manage 
that.  Then  I  met  Ben  and  others,  and  they  were  all  so 
surprised.  I  went  to  the  chapel,  and  although  I  could 
not  hear  well  what  was  said,  for  I  was  a  long  way  ofF 
from  the  parson,  and  the  old  pensioners  coughed  so  much, 
I  was  very  much  pleased,  although  a  little  tired  before  it 
was  over.  When  the  service  was  finished,  I  was  proceed- 
ing to  my  mother's,  when  I  met  her  and  little  Virginia 
coming  home  from  the  town  church. 

"  There's  a  nice  little  boy,  Virginia,"  said  my  mother ; 
*'  wouldn't  you  like  to  walk  with  him  ?  " 

My  mother  did  not  know  me,  but  Virginia  did  im- 
mediately ;  she  burst  away  from  her  mother  and  ran  into 
my  arms,  laughing  and  crying  as  she  clung  to  me,  and  then 
she  cried  out — 

"  Mother,  yes,  mother,  I  will  walk  with  him !  "  and  she 
hastened  me  away  with  her,  much  to  my  mother's  annoy- 
ance, who  would  have  run  after  us  to  stop  her,  but  she 
didn't  think  it  genteel  to  go  so  fast ;  so  Virginia  and  I 
went  off  together,  leaving  my  mother  very  angry  indeed. 
We  walked  along  towards  the  Hospital,  Virginia  crying 
out  to  everyone  she  knew,  her  large  hazel  eyes  beaming 
with  delight,  "  Look,  this  is  brother  Jack  ! "  and  I  went 
with  her  to  Peter  Anderson  and  old  Ben.  I  was  so  proud 
to  have  my  sister  with  me ;  and  Peter  Anderson  said — 

"  This  is  as  it  should  have  been  a  long  while  ago."  And 
then  he  continued,  "  Jack,  you  may  happen  not  to  earn  any 
money  in  the  week,  and  if  so,  come  to  me,  for  old  Nanny 
must  not  be  disappointed  j  but,  recollect,  you  must  pay  for 
your  own  clothes  out  of  your  own  earnings." 

When  it  was  dinner-time  Virginia  and  I  went  home 
together.  As  we  came  to  Fisher's  Alley  I  said  to  her, 
"  Mother  will  be  angry  with  you." 

"I  can't  help  it.  Jack,"  replied  she;  "you  are  my  own 
brother,  and  we  are  not  doing  wrong." 

When  we  went  in,  my  mother  looked''  hard  at  me,  but, 
to  my  surprise,  said  nothing  ;  she  was  sulky,  but  whether 
P.J.  F 

i   \9 


82  Poor  Jack 

it  was  with  Virginia  or  with  me,  or  with  my  new  clothes, 
or  whether  her  conscience  smote  her  for  her  neglect  of  me, 
I  do  not  know.  She  put  the  dinner  on  the  table  in  silence  j 
and  after  it  was  over,  she  went  upstairs.  Virginia  and  I 
did  not  neglect  this  opportunity ;  she  put  on  her  bonnet, 
we  slipped  out,  and  walked  about  together  till  tea-time. 
When  we  came  back,  my  mother  seized  my  sister  by  the 
arm  and  carried  her  up  to  bed.  Little  Virginia  made  no 
resistance,  but  turned  her  head  and  smiled  at  me  as  she  v/as 
led  away.  I  never  felt  so  happy  in  my  life  as  I  did  when 
I  went  to  bed,  and  thought  over  the  events  of  the  day. 


Chapter  XIII 

I  am  so  unfashionable  as  to  pay  my  debts.  Ben's  opinion  as  to  my  father's 
return.  The  chances  exemplified  in  the  list  of  killed  and  wounded.  The 
V Orient  blowing  up,  and  the  Royal  George  going  down. 

Time  passed ;  and  three  years  of  it  certainly  were  not  un- 
profitably  spent.  Anderson  had  instructed  me  w^ell.  I 
could  read,  write,  and  cipher,  and,  what  the  reader  will 
consider  of  more  consequence,  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
the  Bible,  and  duly  admonished  by  my  preceptor  of  my 
duty  towards  God  and  man.  Nor  was  my  sister  Virginia 
neglected :  my  mother,  as  soon  as  she  was  seven  years  old, 
sent  her  as  day  scholar  to  a  young  ladies'  seminary,  where 
she  was  well  taught,  although  the  style  of  the  school  was 
much  above  my  sister's  situation  in  life ;  but  my  mother 
would  not  allow  her  to  go  anywhere  else,  although  there 
were  several  schools  more  appropriate :  she  declared  that 
Virginia  should  not  mix  with  the  vulgar  ungenteel  girls  of 
the  place  j  and  that,  if  she  had  demeaned  herself  by  marry- 
ing below  her  rank,  at  all  events  her  daughter  should  be 
brought  up  as  she  ought  to  be.  The  neighbours  laughed 
at  her,  but  my  mother  did  not  care ;  she  worked  hard,  and 
always  was  ready  to  pay  the  quarter's  bill  for  schooling 
whenever  it  was  due. 


Poor  Jack  83 

To  me,  Sunday  was  a  day  of  rejoicing ;  I  was  so  glad  to 
throw  off  my  ragged  apparel  of  "  Poor  Jack,"  and  put  on 
my  best  clothes,  that  I  might  walk  with  my  sister ;  for  my 
mother  gradually  softened  down  her  asperity  (perhaps  out 
of  prudence),  as  she  could  raise  no  objection  to  Virginia 
walking  with  her  brother  when  he  was  clean  and  well 
dressed,  and  Virginia  was  very  firm  in  supporting  me  when 
I  requested  permission.  Indeed,  latterly,  my  requests 
were  more  like  demanding  a  right  than  a  favour,  and  my 
mother  appeared  to  wish  to  avoid  a  contest  with  me.  She 
knew  that  I  was  a  good  scholar,  very  independent  of  her, 
and  very  much  liked :  the  favourable  opinion  of  others 
induced  her  to  treat  me  with  more  consideration ;  but  we 
had  no  regard  for  each  other, — only  preserving  a  sort  of 
armed  neutrality. 

There  are  grades  in  all  classes  of  life ;  and  the  young 
ladies'  seminary,  to  which  Virginia  went  as  a  day  scholar, 
had  its  distinctions  of  rank.  The  first  in  consequence 
among  the  young  ladies  were  the  two  daughters  of  Mr 
Tippet,  the  haberdasher ;  then  came  the  hatter's  daughter, 
Miss  Beaver.  The  grades  appeared  to  be  as  follows  : 
manufactures  held  the  first  rank ;  then  dry  goods,  as  the 
tea-dealers,  grocers,  &c. ;  the  third  class  consisted  of  the 
daughters  of  the  substantial  butchers  and  pastrycooks. 
The  squabbles  between  the  young  ladies  about  rank  and 
precedence  were  continual ;  what  then  must  have  been 
the  position  of  poor  little  Virginia,  whose  mother  was  a 
clear-starcher  and  getter-up  of  fine  linen  .•*  At  first  they 
called  her  the  washerwoman's  daughter,  and  would  not 
associate  with  her, — which  made  her  very  uncomfortable  ; 
and  she  used  to  tell  me  on  the  Sundays,  when  we  walked 
out,  how  she  had  been  treated  during  the  week.  But 
it  was  all  for  her  advantage,  and  tended  to  correct  the 
false  pride  and  upstart  ideas  which  in  time  must  have 
been  engendered  by  my  mother's  folly.  Neither,  after  a 
few  weeks,  was  my  sister  unhappy  j  she  was  too  meek 
in  disposition  to  reply,  so  that  she  disarmed  those  who 
would  assail  her  j  and  being,  as  she  was,  of  the  lowest 


84  Poor  Jack 

rank  in  the  school,  there  could  be  no  contest  with  the 
others  as  to  precedence.  Her  mildness,  humility,  and 
sweetness  of  temper  soon  won  upon  both  the  school- 
mistress and  the  scholars  ;  eventually  the  Miss  Tippets 
took  Virginia  under  their  protection ;  and  this  magna- 
nimity on  their  part  silenced  all  opposition.  My  mother 
had  desired  my  sister  to  take  lessons  in  dancing.  At  first, 
the  girls  would  not  stand  up  with  her ;  but,  when  the 
elder  Miss  Tippet  took  her  as  a  partner,  my  sister  became 
quite  the  fashion,  and  what  was  better,  a  great  favourite 
and  pet  with  everybody  j  and  they  all  patronised  her 
as  *'  little  Virginia." 

I  very  soon  paid  oiF  my  debt  to  Old  Nanny,  without 
having  to  apply  to  Peter  Anderson.  I  had  assistance  (but 
without  asking  for  it)  as  follows : — The  second  Sunday 
after  I  had  obtained  my  clothes,  I  called,  with  Virginia, 
upon  the  widow  St  Felix.  She  was  in  the  back  parlour ; 
and  the  Doctor,  as  usual,  sitting  with  her.  She  received 
us  very  kindly,  spoke  a  good  deal  to  Virginia,  and  told 
me  that  I  looked  very  handsome  for  "Poor  Jack." 

"  You'll  be  quite  the  fashion,"  continued  she  ;  "  and 
I  presume,  like  most  fashionable  gentlemen,  your  clothes 
are  not  paid  for." 

I  replied,  laughing,  that  they  were  not  ;  but  that  they 
should  be,  if  I  lived,  and  could  work. 

"  I've  heard  the  whole  story  from  old  Ben,"  replied 
she.    '*  Come  in  to-morrow.  Jack ;  I  want  to  speak  with  you." 

I  did  so  in  the  forenoon,  when  she  put  a  five-shilling 
piece  in  my  hand,  and  said, — "  That's  from  me,  to  help 
you  to  pay  your  debt  to  Old  Nanny.  But  that's  not  all. 
Jack ;  I've  coaxed  the  Doctor  (not  that  he  required  much 
coaxing,  to  do  him  justice),  and  here's  two  half-crowns 
from  him,  which,  I  believe,  will  go  about  as  far  as  my 
five-shillings.  Now,  Jack,  you  look  very  happy;  so, 
just  out  of  gratitude,  run  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  make 
poor  Old  Nanny  happy,  for  she  moans  over  her  generous 
fit,  and  wonders  all  day  long  whether  you  will  ever  pay 
her  again." 


Poor  Jack  85 

I  had  listened  all  this  while  to  Mrs  St  Felix;  but  I 
was  so  moved  by  her  kindness  and  generosity  that  I  could 
not  speak.  I  had  received  money  for  services  performed, 
and  I  had  obtained  it  from  Nanny  as  a  loan,  to  be  repaid 
with  interest ;  but  so  much  money,  as  a  gift,  had  never 
entered  into  my  imagination.  I  could  not  restrain  my 
feelings ;  I  dropped  my  face  on  the  counter,  to  conceal 
the  tears  which  escaped. 

**  I  can't  say  *  thank  you,*  as  I  wish,  indeed,  I  can't," 
said  I,  as  I  looked  up  at  her. 

**  Why,  you  foolish  boy,  you  have  said  thank  you," 
replied  the  widow  ;  "  and  now  run  away,  for  I  must  leave 
the  shop  a  minute." 

This  assistance  made  me  redouble  my  exertions,  and  in 
three  months  I  had  repaid  the  whole  :  the  last  portion 
which  was  due  I  received  from  Virginia.  She  knew 
how  much  I  paid  off  every  week ;  and,  when  on  Sunday 
I  told  her  that  I  had  only  one  and  sixpence  owing,  she 
ran  upstairs,  and,  when  she  came  down  again,  put  the 
sum  into  my  hand.  She  had  been  saving  up  all  she  could 
coax  out  of  my  mother  ever  since  I  had  first  obtained  the 
clothes ;  and  great,  indeed,  was  her  delight  when  she  gave 
me  the  money, — she  kissed  me,  and  began  to  dance, 
although  it  was  Sunday,  and  then  she  proposed  that  we 
should  walk  together  to  Old  Nanny's,  and  close  the 
account.  We  found  the  old  woman  sitting  on  her  steps  ; 
the  door  was  open,  but  the  shop  shutters  were  up.  On 
the  Saturday  night  I  had  paid  her  two  shillings,  so  that 
she  did  not  expect  to  see  me.  Virginia  put  the  one  and 
sixpence  in  her  hand,  saying,  "  Now  brother  has  paid 
you  all." 

"  Yes,  darling,  he  has,"  replied  Old  Nanny  ;  "  but  then 
he  promised " 

"  I  know  I  did,"  interrupted  I ;  "  and  I  will  keep  my 
promise.     I  promised  you  good  bargains." 

"  You're  an  honest  boy.  Jack :  and,  what's  more  strange, 
your  sister  isn't  a  spoiled  girl ;  but  that's  not  her  mother's 
fault.     My  dear,  if  it  was  not  Sunday,  you  would  be  able 


86  Poor  Jack 

to  see  all  the  pretty  things  in  my  shop,  and  perhaps 
you  might  like  something.     You  must  come  another  day." 

I  thanked  Old  Nanny  once  more  for  having  trusted  me, 
and  then  we  left  her.  I  did  keep  my  word  with  her, 
and  gave  her  good  bargains  for  a  long  while  afterwards. 

I  often  thought  of  my  father,  who  had  been  absent  now 
for  nearly  four  years  ;  and,  as  the  time  advanced,  I  became 
more  anxious  to  hear  of  him.  I  seldom  met  old  Ben  the 
"Whaler  without  talking  about  my  father,  and  asking 
Ben  what  chance  he  thought  there  was  of  his  return. 

"Why,  you  see.  Jack,"  said  Ben,  "in  these  times,  it's 
hard  to  say  whether  a  man  be  alive  or  not.  Every  day  we 
hear  of  some  naval  action  or  another,  and  therefore  every 
day  some  must  lose  the  number  of  their  mess ;  and  then, 
you  see,  Jack,  a  man  may  be  supposed  to  be  dead  for 
years,  and  after  all  turn  up  in  some  French  prison  or 
another ;  and  then  ships  change  their  station,  and  ships* 
companies  their  ships ;  and  then  ships  are  sometimes 
wrecked,  with  all  hands,  or  take  fire,  and  are  blown  up. 
Many  a  good  seaman  loses  his  life  by  falling  overboard  in 
a  gale, — and  who  knows  or  cares  ?  Whether  your  father 
be  alive  or  be  dead.  Jack,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  say  5 
— but,  howsomever,  I  hope  he  be." 

This  was  not  a  satisfactory,  although  a  cautious  reply, 
and  I  never  could  get  Ben  to  give  any  other.  I  began  to 
think  that  one  of  the  mischances  enumerated  in  Ben's 
catalogue  might  have  occurred,  and  that  I  never  should 
see  my  father  again ;  when  one  morning,  as  I  was  standing 
at  the  landing-place,  Ben  came  up  to  me  and  said,  *'  Now, 
Jack,  perhaps  we  may  hear  something  of  your  father. 
Here's  been  a  famous  action  fought,  and  a  matter  of  a 
thousand  men  killed  and  wounded.  I've  only  just  heard 
about  it — Nelson  has  licked  the  French  on  the  coast  of 
Egypt  (Ben  here  referred  to  the  battle  of  the  Nile) ;  and 
the  Oudacious,  the  ship  on  board  of  which  your  father  was 
boatswain's  mate,  was  in  the  action.  Now  you  see  the 
names  of  the  killed  will  be  sent  into  the  office  here,  that 
their  relations  may  receive  the  pay  and  prize-money  due 


Poor  Jack  87 

to  them  ; — so  now,  Jack,  perhaps  you'll  hear  something 
about  your  father." 

"But  I  shall  only  hear  of  his  being  killed,  by  your 
account ;  I  don't  want  to  hear  that." 

"  No,  boy,  of  course  you  don't ;  but  if  you  do,  you'll 
hear  the  worst  of  it,  and  that's  some  comfort ;  and  if  he 
ar'n't  killed,  why,  perhaps  he's  wounded,  and  perhaps  he 
ar'n't ;  all  perhapses  in  this  world.  Howsomever,  come 
with  me.  I  saw  Anderson,  with  a  paper  in  his  hand, 
walking  up  to  his  retreat,  as  he  calls  it ;  so  let's  make  all 
sail  after  him,  and  we  shall  overhaul  him  before  he  begins 
to  read  it." 

There  is  a  small  hill  just  inside  of  the  Greenwich  Park 
Gates,  commanding  a  beautiful  view  of  the  river  and  the 
Hospital.  Here  Anderson  was  accustomed  to  repair  when 
the  weather  was  fine,  that,  as  he  told  me,  he  might 
commune  with  himself.  In  this  instance  he  had  retired 
there  to  avoid  the  excitement  and  confusion  which 
prevailed ;  he  had,  however,  been  accompanied  by  three 
other  pensioners,  whom  we  found  on  the  hill  when  we 
arrived ;  and,  before  we  had  been  there  a  minute,  the 
pensioners  had  followed  up  so  fast  that  there  was  quite 
a  crowd.  We  were  just  in  time  to  hear  him  commence 
reading  the  newspaper  account.  The  wind  was  very 
high ;  old  Anderson  had  taken  off  his  hat  (out  of  respect, 
I  presume,  for  the  service),  and  his  long  grey  locks  were 
swept  by  the  wind,  which,  indeed,  carried  away  his  voice, 
so  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  could  hear  what  he 
said.  "  Second  Edition.  Glorious  news  !  We  have  the 
felicity  to  inform  our  readers,  that,  by  despatches  received 
at  the  Admiralty  this  day,  a  splendid  naval  victory  has  been 
gained  over  the  French  fleet  lying  in  Aboukir  Bay,  by 
Rear- Admiral  Sir  Horatio  Nelson  and  the  gallant  seamen 
under  his  command.  We  refer  our  readers  to  the  despatch 
of  Sir  Horatio  Nelson  for  the  details  :  we  have  only  to 
say,  in  few  words,  that  the  French  fleet  of  thirteen  sail  of 
the  line  and  four  frigates  were,  on  the  1st  of  August  last, 
when  lying  at  anchor  in  Aboukir  Bay,  attacked  by  the 


88  Poor  Jack 

English  fleet  of  twelve  sail  of  the  line  and  one  fifty-gun 
ship,  and  after  a  severe  action,  eleven  sail  of  the  line  and 
two  frigates  belonging  to  the  French  were  taken  or  burn^ 
The  loss  on  our  side  amounts  to  two  hundred  and  eighteen 
killed,  and  six  hundred  and  seventy-seven  wounded." 

"  Hurrah  !  three  cheers,  my  lads  j "  cried  Anderson, 
dropping  the  hand  which  held  the  newspaper,  and  raising 
the  other  with  his  hat  in  it  above  his  head.  The  three 
hearty  cheers  were  given  by  the  crowd  which  had  now 
assembled  ;  and  then  Ben  said  to  me — 

*'  You  see,  Jack,  there's  a  lot  of  killed  and  wounded  ; 
so  now,  perhaps,  you  will  hear  something  about  your 
father." 

By  this  time  I  had  been  pushed  back,  first  by  one,  and 
then  by  another,  until  I  was  a  long  way  off  from  where 
Anderson  stood. 

"  I  can't  hear  a  word  that  Peter  says,"  replied  I  to 
Ben. 

"  No,  because  the  wind's  so  high  ;  and  I  myself  am  a 
little  hard  of  hearing  out  of  doors  ;  suppose  we  go  now, 
and  by-and-by  you  shall  get  the  paper  from  Anderson,  and 
read  it  all  over  to  me." 

"Come  away,  Ben,"  replied  1",  impatiently,  "I've  got  a 
shilling,  and  I'll  buy  one." 

We  left  the  hill,  and  went  down  into  the  town,  directing 
our  course  to  where  we  heard  the  horns  blowing.  I  had 
not,  however,  to  go  to  such  an  extraordinary  expense,  as 
"  a  full  and  particular  account "  had  been  struck  off  for 
twopence  :  one  of  these  I  purchased,  and  then  Ben  and  I 
sat  down  on  the  bench  outside  of  a  public  house,  and  I 
commenced  reading. 

"  How  good  that  porter  looks  !  "  observed  Ben,  after  a 
pause,  as  he  eyed  a  man  near  to  him  who  was  blowing  off 
the  froth  from  the  top  of  the  pot  he  held  in  his  hand. 

"Well,  Ben,  as  I  have  bought  the  account  of  the  battle 
for  twopence,  suppose  I  spend  the  rest  of  the  money  I 
intended  to  pay  for  it  in  a  pot  of  porter,  to  drink  the 
health  of  Nelson  ? " 


Poor  Jack  89 

*'  Ay,  my  boy,  and  of  those  who  fought  with  him," 
replied  Ben,  *'  your  own  father,  Jack,  whether  he  be  dead 
or  alive." 

I  sighed  at  the  idea  of  my  father  being  dead  ;  for  I  had 
a  great  regard  for  him,  although  I  had  not  seen  much 
of  him.  The  porter  was  brought  j  and,  after  we  had 
both  drunk,  I  re-commenced  reading.  Having  concluded 
Admiral  Nelson's  despatch,  and  the  list  of  the  ships  taken, 
we  then  came  to  the  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  on  board 
of  the  respective  English  ships. 

**  Vanguard — thirty  killed,  seventy-five  wounded  ;  total, 
a  hundred  and  five." 

"  Yes,  Jack,  that  was  Nelson's  own  ship  ;  and  he  is 
always  to  be  found  where  the  shot  fly  thickest." 

^^  Bellerophon — forty-nine  killed,  a  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  wounded  ;  total,  a  hundred  and  ninety-seven." 

"  "Well !  she  was  in  the  thick  of  it,  anyhow,"  observed 
Ben. 

**  Majestic  —  fifty  killed,  a  hundred  and  forty-three 
wounded ;  total,  a  hundred  and  ninety-three." 

"  Why,  she  and  the  Bellyruffron  seem  to  have  pretty 
well  shared  and  shared  alike.  You  see.  Jack,  they  led 
into  the  action,  and  had  all  the  cream  of  the  fire." 

I  went  on  reading  and  Ben  remarking,  until  I  came  to 
the  Audacious. 

"Audacious — one  killed,  and  thirty-five  wounded;  total, 
thirty-six." 

"Well  now,  Jack,  that's  all  in  favour  of  your  father 
being  alive ;  'cause  why  should  he  be  the  one  killed,  more 
than  anyone  else  .''  I'd  bet  two  pots  of  beer  that  he's 
among  the  wounded — but  it's  impossible  to  say ;  for  you 
see.  Jack,  although  they  give  us  the  names  of  the  officers 
killed  and  wounded,  they  always  lump  the  petty  officers 
and  common  seamen.  Well  !  here's  to  your  father's 
health.  Jack,  anyhow — we  shall  soon  hear  something 
about  him." 

"  I  hope  so  j "  replied  I,  folding  up  the  paper. 

**  And  now,  Jack,"  continued  Ben,  handing  me  the  pot. 


90  Poor  Jack 

"  don't  you  feel  how  proud  a  thing  it  is  to  know  how  to 
read.  Here  I  am,  you  see,  old  enough  almost  to  be  your 
grandfather,  and  don't  I  look  like  a  helpless  babby  beside 
you  J — you  can  inform  me  of  what  is  going  on,  but  I 
cannot  help  myself.  Don't  I  feel,  as  I  sit  here,  as  if  you 
were  the  man,  and  I  were  the  boy  ;  indeed  I  do,  Jack,  and 
no  mistake ; — but,  arter  all,  there  was  no  one  to  blame  in 
my  case ;  that's  some  comfort." 

I  certainly  did  acknowledge  to  myself  how  much  I  had 
gained  by  the  tuition  of  Peter  Anderson,  and  what  advan- 
tage it  was  to  me  that  I  had  been  instructed  ;  and  I  could 
not  help,  for  a  moment,  feeling  that  I  had  the  advantage 
over  my  good  friend  Ben. 

According  to  the  usual  custom  on  the  occasion  of  a 
great  victory,  the  pensioners  had,  on  the  following  day, 
what  was  called  a  holyday  ;  that  is,  a  day  of  rejoicing,  on 
which  they  were  supplied  with  an  extra  quantity  of  beer, 
to  make  merry  with.  On  these  occasions,  the  rules  of  the 
Hospital,  with  respect  to  sobriety,  are,  of  course,  not 
strictly  observed.  Most  of  those  who  prefer  smoking 
collect  in  what  is  called  the  smoking-room,  where  they  sit 
and  enjoy  themselves ;  but  very  often,  as  there  is  so  much 
noise  on  these  occasions,  those  who  belong  to  the  same 
ward  collect  together,  club  for  some  spirits  to  add  to  their 
extra  allowance,  and  sit  by  the  fire,  which  is  in  the  corridor 
of  the  ward.  The  fireplace  is  generally  a  very  large  one, 
and  surrounded  by  benches  with  high  backs,  to  serve  as 
screens  against  the  cold  and  wind ;  and,  as  there  are  tables 
inside,  you  are  very  snug  and  comfortable.  On  this 
occasion,  many  of  the  Warriors^  Ward,  of  which  Anderson 
was  boatswain,  and  Ben  one  of  the  boatswain's  mates,  had 
repaired  to  their  own  fire,  for  it  was  now  October,  and 
very  chilly  after  the  sun  went  down. 

Ben,  I  suppose  in  return  for  the  pot  of  porter  which  I 
had  given  him,  invited  me  to  be  of  the  party  ;  they  drank 
the  health  of  Nelson,  and  talked  about  the  different  ships 
which  were  in  the  action.  Some  drank  very  fast,  and  then 
reeled  off  to  their  beds,  which  were  close  at  hand ;  others 


Poor  Jack  91 

were  taken  to  bed  by  Peter  Anderson  and  Ben ;  and,  at 
last,  there  were  but  four  or  five  left.  One  of  these  was 
the  other  boatswain's  mate  of  the  ward  ;  I  knew  very  little 
of  him  at  that  time,  except  that  his  name  was  James  Turner. 
He  was  a  very  quiet  well-behaved  man,  and  seemed  to  be 
more  fond  of  sitting  or  walking  alone  than  of  being  in 
company ;  never  was  known  to  drink  too  much ;  and^ 
indeed,  as  boatswain's  mate,  was  more  relied  upon  by 
Anderson  than  even  Ben  was — although,  perhaps,  Ben  was 
his  more  constant  companion.  The  conversation  relative 
to  the  particulars  of  the  battle  of  the  Nile  was  resumed  ;, 
and  Anderson  observed — 

**  What  an  awful  sight  it  must  have  been  to  behold  the 
blowing  up  of  the  VOrient  French  three-decker,  with 
upwards  of  a  thousand  men  on  board  !  Merciful  Heaven  ! 
so  many  poor  fellows  launched  into  eternity  in  one 
moment !     They  say  there  were  but  seventy-three  saved." 

**  There  were  nearly  as  many  souls  lost  when  the  Royal 
George  went  down  at  Spithead,  with  all  the  fleet  at  anchor 
round  about  her,"  replied  Ben ;  "  were  there  not.  Turner, 
for  you  were  on  board  of  her  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  should  think  there  were,"  replied  Turner ; 
"but  it  is  impossible  to  say  how  many  people  were  on 
board  at  the  time." 

**  Messmate,"  said  Anderson ;  **  as  all  the  noisy  ones  are 
gone,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  hear  you,  suppose  that  you 
let  us  know  all  about  it  ?  I  have  heard  a  good  deal,  but,^ 
I  suspect,  not  the  rights  of  it." 

**  With  all  my  heart,"  replied  Turner.  "  It  was  a  sad 
affair  j  and  was  all  owing  to  the  pride  of  an  officer,  who 
was  not  much  of  a  sailor,  at  all  events." 

I  drew  nearer,  that  I  might  not  lose  a  word  of  what 
Turner  saidj  and  then  he  narrated,  in  the  following 
words, 

THE   LOSS   OF   THE    ROYAL   GEORGE. 

"  Well,  messmates,  the  Ro'^al  George  was  a  hundred-gun 
ship ;   and,  what  we  don't  often  see  now,  when  I  first 


92  Poor  Jack 

belonged  to  her,  her  guns  were  all  brass.  We  had  brass 
twenty-four  pounders  on  our  quarter-deck,  forecastle, 
poop,  and  main-deck,  brass  thirty-twos  on  our  middle 
deck,  and  brass  forty-two  pounders  on  our  lower  deck. 
In  the  spring  of  '82,  when  we  were  at  Plymouth  (about 
six  months  before  she  sunk),  it  was  considered  that  the 
brass  forty-twos  on  the  lower  deck  were  too  heavy  for 
her,  and  so  they  were  put  on  shore,  and  we  had  iron 
thirty-twos  instead.  I  don't  think,  myself,  it  made  much 
difference  in  the  weight  of  metal,  and  we  were  sorry  to 
part  with  them.  We  were  a  flag-ship,  you  know,— old 
Kempenfelt  carrying  his  blue  at  the  mizen, — and  our  poop 
lanthorns  were  so  large  that  the  men  used  to  get  inside  of 
them  to  clean  them.  She  was  rather  a  top-heavy  sort  of 
ship,  in  my  opinion,  her  upper  works  were  so  high, — why 
we  measured  sixty-six  feet  from  the  keelson  up  to  the 
taffrail ;  but  still,  with  proper  attention,  there  was  nothing 
to  fear  on  that  score. 

"Well,  it  was  on  the  29th  of  August,  '82, — that's  just 
fourteen  years  and  about  six  weeks  ago, — that  we  were 
lying  at  Spithead,  in  company  with  Lord  Howe's  fleet  of 
between  twenty  and  thirty  sail  of  the  line  :  there  was  the 
Victory,  Barfleur,  Ocean,  and  Union,  all  three-deckers,  I 
recollect,  close  to  us.  We  were  in  good  repair,  not  at  all 
leaky,  and  were  to  have  sailed  in  two  days  to  join  the  fleet 
in  the  Mediterranean.  We  had  been  paid,  in  consequence 
of  our  being  about  to  sail  foreign ;  and  we  had  been  paid 
in  golden  guineas.  I  think  that,  could  all  the  money  be 
collected  together,  from  the  pockets  of  the  seamen,  the 
women,  and  the  Jews,  who  went  down  in  the  ship,  it 
would  be  a  very  pretty  fortune  even  for  a  duke's 
daughter." 

Here  Ben  shoved  the  ale  to  Turner,  who  drank  a  little 
and  proceeded;  while  Ben  took  a  swig  and  passed  it  round. 

"Well,  you  see,  messmates,  the  first  lieutenant  had 
been  washing  the  decks  on  the  morning  before,  and  the 
carpenter  had  been  ordered  to  let  the  water  in,  when  it 
was  found  that  the  water-cock,  which  was  about  three  feet 


Poor  Jack  93 

below  the  water  line,  was  out  of  order,  and  it  was 
necessary  that  it  should  be  repaired.  The  foreman  came 
off  from  the  dock-yard,  and  stated  that  it  was  necessary 
that  the  ship  should  be  careened  over  to  port,  sufficiently 
to  raise  the  mouth  of  the  pipe — which  went  through  the 
ship's  timbers  below — clean  out  of  the  water,  that  they 
might  work  at  it ;  so,  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  on 
that  morning,  the  whole  of  the  larboard  guns  were  run 
out  as  far  as  they  could  be,  and  of  course  the  larboard 
lower  deck  ports  were  open ;  the  starboard  guns  were 
also  run  in  amidships,  and  secured  by  the  tackles :  the 
shifting  over  of  this  great  weight  of  metal  brought  the 
larboard  lower  deck  port  cills  just  level  with  the  water ; 
the  men  were  then  able  to  get  at  the  mouth  of  the  pipe  to 
the  water-cock  on  the  starboard  side,  as  it  was  clean  out 
of  water,  and  for  about  an  hour  they  were  working  away 
hard  at  it. 

"  It  was  about  nine  o'clock,  we  had  just  finished  our 
breakfasts,  and  the  hands  had  been  turned  up,  when  the 
last  lighter,  with  the  rum  on  board,  came  alongside.  She 
was  a  sloop  of  fifty  tons,  called  the  Lark,  and  belonged  to 
three  brothers,  whose  names  I  forget.  She  was  secured 
to  the  larboard  side  of  the  ship ;  and  the  hands  were  piped 
*  clear  lighter.'  Some  of  our  men  were  in  the  lighter 
slinging  the  casks ;  others  at  the  yard  tackle  and  stay-falls 
hoisting  in ;  some  in  the  spirit  room  stowing  away.  I  was 
in  the  waist,  bearing  the  casks  over,  down  the  hatchway ; 
— none  of  us  thinking  that  we  should  never  mix  our  grog 
out  of  that  liquor." 

"  No,  I  suppose  not,"  observed  Anderson ;  "  but  we 
little  know  what  the  day  may  bring  forth." 

"  That's  true  as  gospel,"  said  Ben. 

"  It's  a  very  old  saying,  that  every  little  helps  :  I  did 
not  think  of  it  at  the  time ;  but,  you  see,  as  we  were 
clearing  the  lighter,  almost  all  the  men  were  on  the 
larboard  side,  and  that  must  have  brought  the  ship  down 
still  more  to  port.  Then,  again,  the  water  was  not  so 
smooth  as  it  was  when  we  first  careened  her,  and  it  began 


94  Foot  Jack 

to  wash  into  the  lower  deck  ports,  and  of  course  had  no 
escape,  so  that  there  was  very  soon  a  good  weight  of 
water  in  the  lower  deck.  There  were  mice  in  the  ship ; 
and  they  were  disturbed  by  the  water  entering  into  their 
quarters,  and  the  men  were  catching  them,  and  laughing  as 
they  swam  about,  little  thinking  that  it  was  to  be  a  general 
swim  so  shortly  afterwards.  But  the  carpenter  was  the  first 
that  perceived  that  there  was  danger  j  for  again,  you  see, 
the  casks  of  rum,  hoisted  in,  and  lying  on  the  decks  on 
the  larboard  side,  before  it  could  be  lowered  into  the  hold, 
made  also  a  difference  j  and  so  the  carpenter  went  on  the 
deck  to  the  lieutenant,  who  was  officer  of  the  watch, 
requesting  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  order  the  ship  to 
be  righted  somewhat,  as  she  could  not  bear  it ;  but  the 
lieutenant  gave  a  very  short  answer  to  the  carpenter,  who 
then  went  down  below." 

**  Who  was  the  lieutenant  on  deck  ? "  inquired 
Anderson. 

"  I  don't  recollect  his  right  name ;  he  was,  I  think,  the 
third  lieutenant :  he  went  by  the  name  of  *  Jib  and 
Foresail  Jack  j  *  for,  whenever  he  had  the  watch,  he  did 
nothing  but  up  jib,  and  down  jib,  up  foresail,  down 
foresail,  every  five  minutes,  always  worrying  the  men  for 
nothing.  He  was  not  considered  as  a  good  officer,  but  a 
very  troublesome  one :  he  had  a  knack  of  twisting  and 
moving  his  fingers  about  as  he  walked  the  deck ;  and 
the  men  were  wont  to  say  that  'he  must  have  been  a 
forty  piany  teacher.' " 

"And  where  were  the  captain  and  first  lieutenant?" 
said  Anderson. 

"The  first  lieutenant  was,  at  the  time,  busy  in  the 
wings,  I  believe;  and  as  for  the  captain,  I  don't  know 
where  he  was ;  but  you  know  a  captain  seldom  interferes 
in  harbour." 

"  Where  was  the  admiral  ?"  inquired  Ben. 

"  The  admiral  was  in  his  cabin.  I  saw  the  barber, 
who  had  been  in  to  shave  him,  come  out  just  before  she 
went  down." 


Poor  Jack  95 

**  What  sort  of  man  was  the  admiral  ? "  said'  Anderson. 

"  He  was  a  thin  tall  man,  upwards  of  seventy  years  of 
age,  and  he  stooped  a  good  deal  in  his  walk." 

"Whet  your  whistle,  Jem,"  said  Ben,  "for  this  is  a 
long  yarn." 

"  Well,"  continued  Turner,  as  soon  as  he  had  put  down 
the  pot,  "  the  carpenter  came  up  a  second  time  on  the 
quarter-deck  to  the  lieutenant,  and  said  to  him — 

"  *  If  you  please,  sir,  to  right  the  ship  :  it's  my  duty  to 
tell  you  she  will  not  bear  it  any  longer.'  He  spoke  in  a 
very  positive  way,  as  was  his  duty ;  but  the  lieutenant 
answered,  with  an  oath — 

"  *  If  you  think,  sir,  that  you  can  manage  the  ship 
better  than  I  can,  you  had  better  take  the  command.'  I 
was  in  the  waist  at  the  time,  with  a  good  many  more  men, 
and  we  heard  what  the  carpenter  said,  and  what  answer 
the  lieutenant  gave.  Indeed,  we  were  all  aware  of  the 
danger,  and  felt  very  uncomfortable :  there  were  plenty 
of  good  seamen  on  board,  who  knew  what  they  were 
about,  almost  as  well  as  the  officers,  and  certainly  better 
than  the  one  who  had  the  watch. 

**A  few  minutes  afterwards  (whether  it  was  that  he 
had  remained  that  time  doing  nothing,  merely  because  he 
would  not  be  dictated  to  by  the  carpenter,  I  know  not), 
the  lieutenant  ordered  the  drummer  to  be  called  to  beat 
to  quarters,  that  the  guns  might  be  run  into  their  places, 
and  the  ship  righted.  The  drummer's  name  was  passed 
along  quick  enough,  for  we  were  all  alarmed  at  our 
situation ;  for  the  ship  just  then  heeled  over  still  more. 
I  jumped  down  off  the  gangway  as  soon  as  the  drummer 
was  called,  and  hastened  down  to  my  quarters.  The 
drum  was  not  beat,  for  the  man  had  not  time  to  get  his 
drum.  All  hands  were  now  tumbling  down  the  hatch- 
ways as  fast  as  they  could  to  their  quarters,  that  they 
might  run  their  guns  into  their  pjiees,  and  so  right  the 
ship.  The  gun  I  was  stationed  at  was  the  third  gun 
from  forward  on  the  starboard  side;,  of  the  lower  gun- 
deck.     I  said  to  Carroll,  the  secoaditiaptain  of  the  gun. 


g6  Poor  Jack 

'  I  say,  let  us  try  to  get  our  gun  out  without  waiting 
for  the  drum,  as  the  sooner  we  right  the  better.'  We 
boused  out  our  gun,  which  had  been  run  in  amidships ; 
but  the  ship  heeled  over  so  much  that,  do  all  we  could, 
it  ran  in  again  upon  us,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
water  made  a  heavy  rush  into  the  larboard  lower  deck 
ports.  '  The  ship  is  sinking,  Carroll  ! '  cried  I ;  '  lay 
hold  of  the  ring-bolt  and  jump  out ;  we  shall  all  be 
drowned!'  He  made  for  the  ring-bolt,  caught  it,  climbed 
out  of  the  port,  and  jumped  into  the  sea.  I  presume 
he  was  drowned,  for  I  never  saw  him  afterwards.  I 
followed  him  as  fast  as  I  could  out  of  the  same  port, 
which  was  the  one  belonging  to  our  gun  (the  third  from 
forward  on  the  starboard  sidej  j  and  when  I  was  outside, 
I  perceived  that  all  the  other  port-holes  were  crowded  as 
full  as  they  could  be  with  the  heads  of  the  men,  all  trying 
to  escape,  and  jamming  one  another  so  that  they  could 
scarcely  move  either  one  way  or  the  other.  I  caught  hold 
of  the  sheet  anchor,  which  was  just  above  me,  to  prevent 
falling  back  in  board ;  and,  perceiving  a  woman  struggling 
at  the  port,  I  caught  hold  of  her,  dragged  her  out,  and 
threw  her  from  me.  The  ship  was  now  lying  down  so 
completely  on  her  larboard  broadside,  that  the  heads  of 
the  men  in  the  ports  disappeared  all  at  once ;  they  all 
dropped  back  into  the  ship,  for  the  port-holes  were  now 
upright ;  and  it  was  just  as  if  men  were  trying  to  get  out 
of  the  tops  of  so  many  chimneys,  with  nothing  for  their 
feet  to  purchase  upon.  Just  after  the  men  fell  in  board, 
there  came  a  rush  of  air  through  the  ports,  so  violent  as 
to  blow  my  hat  off.  It  was  the  air  from  the  hold  and 
lower  deck,  which  having  no  other  vent,  escaped,  as  the 
water  which  poured  in  took  up  its  space.  The  ship  then 
sunk  in  a  moment,  righting  as  she  went  down.  I  was  a 
good  swimmer  and  diver,  and  when  she  was  sinking  I 
attempted  to  keep  above  water  ;  but  it  was  impossible : 
I  was  drawn  down  with  the  ship  until  she  reached  the 
bottom.  As  soon  as  she  grounded,  the  water  boiled  and 
bubbled  a  great  deal,  and  then  I  found  that  I  could  swim. 


Poor  Jack  ^^ 

and  began  to  rise  to  the  surface.  A  man  tried  to  grapple 
me  as  I  went  up  5  his  fore-fingers  caught  in  my  shoe, 
between  the  shoe  and  my  foot.  I  succeeded  in  kicking 
off  my  shoe,  and  thus  got  rid  of  him ;  and  then  I  rose  to 
the  surface  of  the  water." 

"Take  breath  after  that,  Jem,"  said  Ben,  handing  him 
the  ale, 

'*  I  can  tell  you  that  I  could  hardly  take  breath  when  I 
came  to  the  surface,  for  my  head  came  up  through  a 
quantity  of  tar,  which  floated  like  fat  on  a  boiler,  and  it 
nearly  smothered  me ;  for  you  see,  there  had  been  one 
or  two  casks  of  tar  on  the  decks,  which  had  stove  when 
the  ship  was  going  down,  and  the  tar  got  up  to  the  top 
of  the  water  before  I  did.  It  prevented  me  from  seeing 
at  first,  but  I  heard  the  guns  firing  as  signals  of  distress." 
Here  Turner  drank  some  ale. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  after  a  short  pause,  "  I  may  as  well 
finish  my  story.  As  soon  as  I  could  clear  the  tar  from 
my  eyes,  I  saw  the  main  topsail  halyard  block  about  level 
with  the  water's  edge,  about  eight  or  ten  yards  from  me  ; 
so  I  swam  to  it  and  rode  on  it,  holding  on  by  the  halyards, 
and  then  I  looked  about  me.  The  fore,  main,  and  mizen 
tops  were  all  above  water,  as  was  a  part  of  the  bowsprit, 
and  also  part  of  the  ensign-staff,  with  the  flag  hoisted, — 
for  you  see,  messmates,  we  went  down  in  only  thirteen 
and  a  half  fathom  water,  that  is,  about  eighty  feet ;  and, 
as  I  said  before,  she  measured  sixty-six  feet  from  the 
keelson  up  to  the  taffrail ;  and  she  grounded  as  nearly 
upright  as  a  vessel  could ;  for  the  lighter,  which  was  fast 
to  leeward  when  she  went  down,  caught  the  main-yard, 
which  helped  to  right  her  as  she  sank, — but  the  lighter 
went  down  with  her.  Well,  as  I  looked  round,  I  saw 
the  admiral's  baker  in  the  mizen  shrouds,  and  there  was 
the  body  of  the  woman  I  had  dragged  out  of  the  port 
rolling  about  close  to  him.  The  baker  was  an  Irishman, 
of  the  name  of  Claridge ;  and  I  called  out  to  him,  '  Bob, 
reach  out  your  hand  and  catch  hold  of  that  woman,  I 
daresay  she  is  not  dead.' 

P.J.  G 


98  Poor  Jack 

"  He  said,  '  She's  dead  enough  ;  it's  of  no  use  to  lay 
hold  of  her.' 

*'  I  answered,  '  She  is  not  dead.'  He  caught  hold  of 
the  woman  and  hung  her  head  over  one  of  the  rattlings 
of  the  mizen  shrouds,  and  there  she  swung  by  her  chin 
till  a  wash  came  and  lifted  her  off,  and  then  she  rolled 
about  again.  Just  then,  one  of  the  captains  of  the  frigates 
came  up  in  his  boat.  I  waved  my  hand  towards  the 
woman, — he  stopped  pulling,  the  men  dragged  her  into 
the  boat,  and  laid  her  in  the  stern-sheets. 

"'My  man,'  said  the  captain,  *I  must  pick  up  those 
who  are  in  more  danger  than  you.' 

"  '  All  right,  sir,'  said  I;  *  I'm  safe  moored  here.' 

"There  was  one  of  our  men  hanging  on  the  main-stay, 
and  roaring  like  a  bull,  as  he  tried  to  climb  by  it  out  of 
the  water.  Had  he  only  remained  quiet,  he  would  have 
done  well  enough.  The  boat  took  him  off  first,  and  then 
others  of  the  people  who  were  clinging  about  the  masts 
and  rigging,  including  the  baker  and  myself.  It  then 
pulled  on  board  the  Victory  with  us ;  and  I  once  more 
found  a  good  dry  plank  between  me  and  the  salt  water." 

"  Was  the  captain  and  admiral  saved  ? " 

"  Captain  Waghorn  was :  he  could  not  swim ;  but  one 
of  the  seamen  held  him  up.  The  admiral  was  drowned 
in  •  his  cabin.  Captain  Waghorn  tried  to  acquaint  him 
that  the  ship  v^:;s  sinking ;  but  the  heeling  over  of  the 
ship  had  so  jammed  the  doors  of  the  cabin,  that  they 
could  not  be  opened." 

"  What  became  of  the  lieutenant  of  the  watch  and  the 
carpenter  ?  " 

"The  lieutenant  of  the  watch  was  drowned — and  so 
indeed  was  the  carpenter :  his  body  was  taken  up,  I 
believe,  by  the  same  boat  which  picked  up  Lieutenant 
Durham.*  When  I  went  on  board  of  the  Victory,  I  saw 
the  carpenter's  body  before  the  galley  fire — some  women 
were  attempting  to  recover  him,  but  he  was  quite  dead. 
There  was  a  strong  westerly  breeze,  although  the  day 
*  Now  Admiral  Sir  Philip  Durham. 


Poor  Jack  919 

was  fine  ;  and  the  wind  made  the  water  so  rough,  that 
there  was  great  danger  of  the  boats  getting  entangled  in 
the  rigging  and  spars,  when  they  came  to  take  the  men 
off,  or  more  would  have  been  saved." 

"How  many  do  you  think  were  lost  altogether?" 
inquired  Anderson. 

"We  had  our  whole  complement  on  board,  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-five  men ;  and  there  were  more  than 
three  hundred  women  on  board,  besides  a  great  many 
Jews  with  slops  and  watches  ;  as  there  always  are,  you 
know,  when  a  ship  is  paid,  and  the  men  have  any  money 
to  be  swindled  out  of.  I  don't  exactly  know  how  many 
men  were  saved,  but  there  was  only  one  woman,  which 
was  the  one  I  dragged  out  of  the  port.  There  was  a 
great  fat  old  bumboat  woman,  whom  the  sailors  used  to 
call  the  '  Royal  George,' — she  was  picked  up  floating, 
for  she  was  too  fat  to  sink  j  but  she  had  been  floating 
the  wrong  way  uppermost,  and  she  was  dead.  There 
was  a  poor  little  child  saved  rather  strangely.  He  was 
picked  up  by  a  gentleman  who  was  in  a  wherry,  holding 
on  to  the  wool  of  a  sheep  which  had  escaped  and  was 
swimming.  His  father  and  mother  were  drowned,  and 
the  boy  did  not  know  their  names  ;  all  that  he  knew  was, 
that  his  own  name  was  Jack  ;  so  they  christened  him  John 
Lamb,  and  the  gentleman  took  care  of  him." 

*'Have  you  no  idea  how  many  men  were  saved. 
Turner  ?  " 

"  I  only  know  this, — that  the  Admiralty  ordered  five 
pounds  a  man  to  be  given  to  the  seamen  who  were  saved, 
as  a  recompense  for  the  loss  of  their  clothes,  and  I  heard 
that  only  seventy-five  claimed  it ;  but  how  many  marines 
were  saved,  or  other  people  who  were  on  board,  I  do  not 
know  J  but  perhaps,  altogether,  there  might  be  two 
hundred  or  more, — for  you  see  the  seamen  had  the  worst 
chance  of  being  saved,  as  they  were  almost  all  down  in 
the  hold,  or  on  the  lower  and  main  decks  at  their  guns. 
A  few  days  after  the  ship  went  down  the  bodies  would 
come  up,  eight  or  ten  almost  at  the  same  time — rising  to 


loo  Poor  Jack 

the  top  of  the  water  so  suddenly  as  to  frighten  people 
who  were  passing  near.  The  watermen  made  a  good 
thing  of  it ;  for,  as  the  bodies  rose,  they  took  from  them 
their  shoe-buckles,  money,  and  watches,  and  then  towed 
them  on  shore  to  be  buried." 

"  That  lieutenant  had  much  to  answer  for,"  observed 
Ben  :  "his  false  pride  was  the  cause  of  it  all." 

"It  would  seem  so, — but  God  only  knows,"  replied 
Anderson.  "  Come,  my  lads,  the  beer  is  out,  and  it's 
two  bells  in  the  middle  watch.  I  think  we  had  better 
turn  in.     Jack,  what's  to  become  of  you  ? " 

"  Oh  !  I'll  find  a  plank,"  said  I. 

*'  So  you  shall,  boy,  and  a  bed  upon  it,"  replied  Ben  -, 
"  come  and  turn  in  with  me,  and  don't  you  dream  that 
the  larboard  lower  deck  ports  are  open." 


Chapter  XIV 

My  father  makes  his  appearance,  having  left  his  leg,  but  not  his  tail,  behind 
him. — My  father  is  pensioned  off  by  my  mother  as  well  as  by  his 
country. 

About  six  weeks  after  the  intelligence  of  the  battle  of  the 
Nile,  as  I  was  sweeping  away  from  the  steps  the  mud  which 
had  been  left  by  the  tide,  a  ICing's  Tender  that  I  had  been 
watching  as  she  came  up  the  river,  dropped  her  anchor  in 
the  stream,  abreast  of  the  Hospital. 

Shortly  afterwards,  the  lieutenant  who  commanded  her 
pulled  on  shore  in  his  boat  ;  and  landing  at  the  steps,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  governor's  house.  The  men  having  orders 
not  to  leave  the  boat,  requested  me  to  procure  them  some 
porter,  which  I  did  j  and  on  my  return  with  it,  they  in- 
formed me  that  they  had  come  round  from  Portsmouth 
with  sixty-three  men,  who  had  lost  their  limbs,  or  had  been 
otherwise  so  severely  wounded  in  the  late  action,  as  to  have 
been  recommended  for  Greenwich. 

I  felt  very  anxious  for  the  men  to  land,  as  it  was  possible 


Poor  Jack  loi 

that  my  father  might  be  one  of  them.  The  lieutenant  soon 
returned,  jumped  into  the  boat,  and  shoved  off.  I  perceived 
that  the  disabled  men  were  getting  ready  to  land,  hauling 
their  chests  and  kits  on  deck.  In  about  half  an  hour,  a 
boat  full  of  them  came  to  the  steps.  I  ran  down  to  assist ; 
and  as  I  held  on  to  the  gunnel  of  the  boat,  while  they 
threw  out  their  gang-board,  the  first  person  who  stumped 
out  was  my  father,  minus  his  left  leg. 

"  Father  !  "  cried  I,  half  sorry  and  half  pleased. 

"  Who  calls  me  father  ?  "  replied  he,  looking  at  me. 
"  Why,  you  don't  mean  to  say  that  you're  my  boy  Tom  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  "  said  I. 

*'  Ah  !  yes — I  recollect  your  smile  now.  Why,  what  a 
big  fellow  you've  grown  !  " 

"  It's  four  years  since  you  left,  father  " 

"  Well !  I  suppose  it  is,  since  you  say  so,"  replied  he, 
taking  me  by  the  arm,  and  stumping  a  little  of  one  side,  when 
he  said  in  a  low  tone,  "  I  say,  Jack,  what  became  of  the  old 
woman  .''     Did  I  settle  her  ?  " 

**  Oh  !  no,"  replied  I,  laughing,  "  she  was  only 
shamming." 

**  Shamming,  was  she  .''  Well !  it's  all  the  better, — for 
she  has  been  a  little  on  my  conscience,  that's  truth. 
Shamming  ?  Heh  !  She  won't  sham  next  time,  if  I  fall 
foul  of  her.     How  does  she  get  on  ?  " 

*'  Oh  !  very  well,  indeed." 

"  And  how's  your  little  sister  ?  What's  her  name — Jenny 
lengthened  at  both  ends  .''  I  never  could  recollect  it,  though 
I've  often  thought  of  her  sweet  little  face." 

"  She's  quite  well,  and  as  pretty  and  as  good  as 
ever." 

"  Well !  Tom  my  boy,  you  stood  by  your  father  when 
he  was  in  trouble,  and  now  he'll  stand  by  you.  How  does 
your  mother  treat  you  .''  " 

"  We  get  on  pretty  well — not  over  fond  of  each  other." 

"  Well,  Tom,  I've  only  one  pin  left  j  but  I  say,"  con- 
tinued my  father,  with  a  wink  of  his  eye,  "  I  hav'n't  left 
my  tail  behind  me,  'cause  it  may  be  useful,  you  know.    Now 


I02  Poor  Jack 

we  must  all  go  up  to  the  governor  of  the  Hospital  for  in- 
spection, and  I  suppose  we  shall  be  kept  for  some  time — 
so  you  may  run  home  and  tell  your  mother  that  I've  come 
back  in  a  perfect  good  humour,  and  that  it  will  be  her  fault 
if  she  puts  me  out — that's  all." 

"  I  will,  father ;  and  then  I'll  come  to  you  at  the 
Hospital." 

I  ran  home  to  communicate  the  important  intelligence  to 
my  mother  and  to  Virginia,  who  had  as  usual  come  from 
school  for  her  dinner. 

*'  Mother,"  says  I  out  of  breath,  "  who  do  you  think  has 
come  back." 

"  Come  back  ?  "  said  she.     '*  Back  f    Not  your  father  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  says  I,  *'  my  father.     I  just  left  him." 

My  mother  turned  deadly  pale,  and  dropped  the  hot  iron 
from  her  hand,  so  as  to  spoil  a  frilled  night-cap  belonging 
to  one  of  her  lady  customers.  She  staggered  to  a  chair, 
and  trembled  all  over.  I  really  believe  that  had  she  been 
av/are  of  his  being  about  to  return,  she  would  have  quitted 
Greenwich  before  his  arrival ;  but  now  it  was  too  late. 
Virginia  had  run  for  the  salts,  as  soon  as  she  perceived  that 
her  mother  was  unwell,  and  as  she  smelt  them  she 
gradually  recovered.  At  last  she  enquired  how  my  father 
looked,  and  what  he  said. 

I  told  her  that  he  had  lost  his  leg,  and  had  been  sent  as 
a  pensioner  to  the  Hospital ;  that  he  had  looked  very  well, 
and  that  he  had  told  me  to  say  that,  "  he  was  in  a  perfect 
good  humour,  and  it  would  be  her  fault  if  she  put  him  out 
of  it ;  and  that  if  she  did " 

"Well,  what  then  ?"  inquired  my  mother. 

"  Oh  !  the  ^fliV,— that's  all." 

At  the  mention  of  the  tail,  my  mother  very  nearly  went 
oiF  in  a  swoon — her  head  fell  back,  and  I  heard  her  mutter, 
"  So  vulgar  !  so  ungenteel !  "  However,  she  recovered 
herself,  and  appeared  to  be  for  some  time  in  deep  thought. 
At  last  she  rose  up,  ordered  me  to  fetch  something  extra 
for  supper,  and  recommenced  her  ironing. 

As  soon  as  I  had  executed  her  commission,  I  went  to 


Poor  Jack  103 

the  Hospital  where  I  found  my  father,  who  with  the  othei 
mea  had  just  been  dismissed.  He  accompanied  me  to  my 
mother,  shook  hands  with  her  very  good-humouredly, 
kissed  Virginia,  whom  he  took  on  his  knee,  praised  the 
supper,  drank  only  one  pot  of  porter,  and  then  returned  to 
the  Hospital,  to  sleep  in  the  cabin  which  had  been  allotted 
to  him  in  the  Warriors'  Ward,  of  which  Anderson  was  the 
boatswain.  My  mother,  although  not  very  gracious,  was 
much  subdued,  and  for  a  few  days  everything  went  on  very 
comfortably ;  but  my  mother's  temper  could  not  be  long 
restrained.  Displeased  at  something  which  she  considered 
as  very  vulgar,  she  ventured  to  assail  my  father  as  before, 
concluding  her  tirade  as  usual  with  *'  There — now  you're 
vexed !  " 

My  father  looked  at  her  very  sternly — at  last  he  said, 
"  You're  just  right — I  am  vexed;  and  whenever  you  tell 
me  so  in  future,  I'll  prove  that  it's  no  lie."  He  then  rose, 
stumped  upstairs  to  my  room,  in  which  he  had  deposited 
his  sea-chest,  and  soon  made  his  appearance  with  the 
formidable  and  never  to  be  forgotten  tail  in  his  hand. 
"  Mistress,"  said  he,  as  my  mother  retreated,  "  you  said, 
*  Now  you're  vexed,'  to  me  just  now.  I  ask  you  again,  am 
I  vexed,  or  am  I  not  ?  "  and  my  father  flourished  the  tail 
over  his  head. 

My  mother  looked  at  the  strange  weapon,  the  remem- 
brance of  the  past  was  too  painful ;  she  was  conquered  by 
her  fear. 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  cried  she,  falling  on  her  knees.  "  You're 
not  vexed — indeed  you  are  not." 

"  You're  quite  sure  of  that  ? "  responded  my  father 
authoritatively,  as  he  advanced  towards  her. 

"  Oh  !  yes,  yes,"  cried  my  mother,  trembling ;  "  indeed, 
you're  not." 

"  A'n't  I  in  a  very  good  humour  ? "  continued  my  father. 

"  Yes,  you  are  in  the  best  of  humours,  and  always 
are  so,  unless  —  I  aggravate  you,"  replied  my  mother 
whimpering. 

"  Well ! "    replied   my    father,  lowering   his    tail ;    "1 


I04  Poor  Jack 

expect  we've  come  to  a  right  understanding  at  last.  So 
now  get  up  and  wipe  your  eyes :  but  recollect,  that  when- 
ever you  dare  to  tell  me  that  I'm  vexed,  I  won't  be  so 
ungenteel  as  to  contradict  you." 

Thus  was  the  mastery  gained  by  my  father,  and  never 
lost.  It  is  true,  that  sometimes  my  mother  would  forget 
herself,  and  would  get  on  as  far  as  "  There  now,  you're 

,"  but  she  would  stop  there,  and  correct  herself,  saying 

"  No  !  you're  not,"  and  allow  her  temper  to  evaporate,  by 
singing  one  of  her  usual  ditties,  as  "  Hush-a-by,  baby,  on 
the  tree  top ; "  but  my  father  never  took  notice  of  her 
singing  j  and  being  really  a  very  good-tempered  man,  my 
mother's  temper  gradually  became  improved. 

The  return  of  my  father  made  some  alteration  in  our 
mode  of  life.  He  might,  if  he  had  pleased,  have  lived  as 
an  out-pensioner  with  my  mother ;  but  this  he  would  not 
do.  He  used  to  come  in  almost  every  evening  to  see  her, 
and  she  used  to  provide  for  him  a  pot  of  porter,  which  he 
seldom  exceeded ;  if  he  had  friends  with  him,  they  paid  for 
what  they  drank.  This  pot  of  porter  per  diem  was  the 
only  demand  made  upon  my  mother  for  permission  to 
remain  separate,  and  she  did  not  grumble  at  it.  His 
tobacco  he  found  himself  out  of  the  tobacco  money  allowed 
at  the  Hospital.  He  had  received  some  pay  j  which,  con- 
trary to  his  former  custom,  he  had  laid  by  in  the  charge  of 
one  of  the  lieutenants  of  the  Hospital  j  for  at  that  time 
there  were  no  savings  banks. 

As  a  married  man,  my  father  had  the  liberty  to  intro- 
duce his  wife  and  children  into  the  Hospital  at  meal  times, 
to  share  his  allowance  with  them :  this  my  mother  would 
not  listen  to,  as  regarded  herself  and  my  sister ;  but  my 
father  messed  in  what  is  called  the  married  men's  room, 
on  my  account ;  and  instead  of  buying  my  own  dinner, 
or  applying  to  my  mother  for  it,  I  now  always  took  it 
with  my  father  in  the  Hospital.  In  consequence  of  my 
father's  admittance  as  a  pensioner,  both  I  and  my  sister 
might  have  been  instructed  at  the  Hospital  school ;  but 
my  mother  would  not  permit  Virginia  to  go  there,  and 


Poor  Jack  105 

I  found  it  much  more  convenient  to  go  to  Peter  Anderson 
in  the  evening,  when  I  had  nothing  to  do.  On  the  whole, 
we  all  went  on  much  more  comfortably  than  we  did 
before  my  father's  return. 

One  evening  I  was,  as  usual,  with  Anderson  in  his 
cabin,  my  father  having  been  drafted  into  his  ward,  I 
could  not  help  asking  Anderson  how  he  liked  him.  His 
reply  was,  "I  like  your  father.  Jack,  for  he  is  a  straight- 
forward, honest,  good  -  tempered  man  ;  and,  moreover, 
has  a  good  natural  judgment.  I  think  it  a  great  pity 
that  such  a  man  as  he  is,  should  be  so  early  in  life  lost 
as  it  were,  to  the  country.  He  is  a  first-rate  seaman ; 
and  although  there  are  many  like  him,  still  there  are 
none  to  spare.  However,  if  his  country  loses,  he  may 
himself  gain,  by  being  so  soon  called  away  from  a  service 
of  great  temptation.  The  sailor  who  has  fought  for  his 
country.  Jack,  has  much  to  be  thankful  for  when  he 
takes  in  moorings  at  Greenwich  Hospital.  He  is  well 
fed,  well  clothed,  tended  in  sickness,  and  buried  with 
respect ;  but  all  these  are  nothing,  compared  with  the 
greatest  boon.  When  I  reflect  what  lives  sailors  live, 
how  reckless  they  are,  how  often  they  have  been  on 
the  brink  of  eternity,  and  wonderfully  preserved,  with- 
out even  a  feeling  of  gratitude  to  Him  who  has  watched 
over  them,  or  taking  their  escapes  as  warnings — when 
I  consider  how  they  pass  their  whole  lives  in  excess, 
intemperance,  and,  too  often,  blasphemy,  it  is  indeed  a 
mercy  that  they  are  allowed  to  repose  here  after  such  a 
venturous  and  careless  career — that  they  have  time  to 
reflect  upon  what  has  passed — to  listen  to  the  words  of 
the  Gospel,  to  hate  their  former  life,  and,  trusting  in 
God's  mercy,  to  secure  their  salvation.  This  is  the 
greatest  charity  of  this  institution,  and  long  may  it  flourish, 
a  blessing  to  the  country  which  has  endowed  it,  and  to 
the  seamen,  who  are  not  only  provided  for  in  this  world, 
but  are  prepared  in  it  for  the  next." 

Such  were  continually  the  style  of  admonitions  given 
me  by  this  good  old  man ;  and  I  need  not  point  out  to 


io6  Poor  Jack 

the  reader  how  fortunate  it  was  for  me  that  I  had  secured 
such  a  preceptor. 


Chapter  XV 

In  which  is  proved  the  truth  of  the  proverb,  "  When  your  own  house  is 
made  of  glass,  you  never  should  be  the  first  to  throw  stones." 

One  evening,  when  I  went  to  the  shop  of  the  widow 
St  Felix  to  purchase  some  tobacco  for  my  father,  she 
said,  "Why  don't  your  father  come  himself,  Jack?  I 
want  to  make  his  acquaintance,  and  see  how  he  looks 
without  his  pigtail." 

•"  Why,   you    never   saw   him   when    he   had   it   on," 
replied  I. 

"No,  that's  the  truth  ;  but  still  I  wish  to  have  a  sight 
of  him, — the  fact  is,  I  want  to  laugh  at  him." 

•'  Very  well,  I'll  bring  him  here ;  but,  recollect,  it's 
a  very  sore  subject  with  him,"  replied  I,  '*  and  that  you 
may  have  a  sharp  answer." 

"That  I'll  take  my  chance  of.  Jack,"  replied  the  widow, 
laughing. 

In  consequence  of  this  intimation,  one  evening  when 
my  father  was  walking  in  the  Hospital,  I  persuaded  him 
to  call  at  the  shop. 

"This  is  my  father,  Mrs  St  Felix,"  said  I. 

"  Most  happy  to  see  him.  What  shall  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  assisting  you  to,  Mr  Saunders  ? "  said  the 
widow. 

"  My  sarvice  to  you,  Marm, — if  you  please,  to  two 
penn'orth  of  pigtail  and  a  paper  of  shorts." 

"  Much  obliged  to  you,  Mr  Saunders,"  replied  she  ; 
"sure  we're  much  indebted  to  Admiral  Lord  Nelson  for  send- 
ing us  such  fine-looking  pensioners.  I  shouldn't  wonder 
if  I  were  to  choose  a  husband  out  of  the  Hospital  yet." 

"  I'm  afeared  we're  all  too  mauled,  Marm,  to  suit  a 
pretty  young  woman  like  you,"  replied  my  jfather,  very 
gallantly. 


Poor  Jack  107 

"  Thank  you  for  that,  Mr  Saunders  ;  but  you're  mistaken 
entirely.  I  don't  consider  the  loss  of  a  leg,  for  instance,  as 
anything ;  I  never  look  at  men's  legs,  and,  therefore,  care 
little  whether  they  are  made  of  wood  or  not,  provided  they 
don't  tread  on  my  corns." 

"  Well,  Marm,  I'm  glad  that  you  don't  consider  a  timber 
toe  as  any  obstacle  to  matrimony,  but,  I  fear,  having  a 
wife  already  may  be  considered  by  you  a  sort  of  objection." 

"Why,  sure,  I  must  have  the  whole  of  my  husband;  I 
couldn't  afford  to  share  him,  especially  when  one  limb  is 
gone  already.  That  puts  me  in  mind  of  my  want  of 
manners  ;  I  hope  Mrs  Saunders  is  quite  well.  I  hear  from 
Jack  that  you  have  a  separate  maintenance, — that's  very 
genteel." 

"Why,  yes,  Marm,"  replied  my  father;  "the  king 
maintains  me,  and  my  wife  maintains  herself ;  so,  as  you 
say,  we  have  a  separate  maintenance." 

"  Well,  that's  the  best  way  when  married  people  don't 
agree.  What  are  you  laughing  at,  Mr  Jack  ?  did  I  hint 
that  your  father  and  mother  ever  had  any  little  matrimonial 
differences  ?  I  certainly  did  hear  that  there  was  a  trifling 
dispute  when  they  last  parted ;  but  when  they  bring  me 
such  tales  I  always  cut  them  short.  Here's  your  pigtail,  Mr 
Saunders,"  continued  the  widow,  laughing,  as  she  put  the 
tobacco  on  the  counter. 

I  looked  at  my  father,  who  did  not  seem  to  relish  the 
hint,  but  he  answered  very  frankly,  '*  If  you  cut  them  as 
short  as  my  wife  cut  mine,  why  then  you  won't  be  troubled 
with  them  any  more.  I  see,  Marm,  you  know  all  about  it, 
and  you  may  have  your  laugh  if  it  pleases  you ;  but,  I  can 
tell  you  that  my  tail  has  done  me  better  sarvice  since  it  was 
off,  than  when  it  hung  down  my  back." 

"Become  useful,  instead  of  ornamental,  I  presume,  Mr 
Saunders." 

"  Just  made  this  difference — when  it  was  on  it  made  my 
wife's  tongue  to  go ;  now  it  is  off,  it  has  stopped  it." 

"  An  extraordinary  powerful  instrument,  to  stop  a 
woman's  tongue ! " 


io8  Poor  Jack 

"  Well,  you've  only  to  ax  Mistress  Saunders,  she'll  tell 
you  all  it's  virtues." 

'*  "Well !  Mr  Saunders.  I  don't  know  whether  you  have 
any  idea  of  taking  another  wife,  some  future  day.  If  so, 
say  nothing  about  it,  or  you'll  never  get  one." 

"  Well,  Marm — I  don't  know  whether  you  ever  think  of 
taking  another  husband  j  but  if  so,  I  think  it  would  be  kind 
on  my  part  to  lend  it  to  him.  Can  you  tell  me  why 
widows'  tongues  run  so  much  faster  than  other  women's  ? " 

"  Mercy !  what  put  that  idea  in  your  head,  Mr 
Saunders  ? " 

"  You,  and  half  a  dozen  more  that  I  happen  to  know. 
May  I  make  so  bold  as  to  ask  you,  Marm,  how  long  you 
may  have  been  a  widow  ? "  continued  my  father, 

"Bless  me!  so  long,  that  I  quite  forget  all  about  it," 
replied  Mrs  St  Felix,  turning  away  from  the  counter  to  the 
jars  behind. 

I  gave  my  father  a  wink  to  let  him  know  that  it  was  his 
turn  now :  he  understood  me,  hitched  up  his  waistband, 
and  nodded. 

"  How  did  you  lose  your  first  husband,  Marm  ?  What 
did  he  die  of  ? " 

The  widow  coloured,  and  my  father  perceiving  it, 
followed  up  his  question. 

"  Did  he  die  of  a  fever,  Marm  ?  " 

"  I'm  not  exactly  sure,"  replied  she,  hurriedly. 

"  May  I  ask  how  long  it  is  since  he  died  ?  "  continued 
my  father. 

"  Oh  !  Mr  Saunders,"  replied  the  widow,  confusedly,  "  I 
really  don't  recollect  just  now.  It's  very  painful  to  answer 
such  questions." 

"  Not  if  you've  been  a  widow  so  long,  that  you  forget 
all  about  it ;  that's  all  sham  and  nonsense.  So  you  a'n't 
sure  ivhat  he  died  of,  nor  when  it  was  that  he  died  }  Are 
you  quite  sure,  Marm,  that  your  husband  is  dead  ?  " 

Mrs  St  Felix  started,  turned  very  red,  and  then  very 
pale. 

**  My  sarvice  to  you  for  the  present,  Marm,"  said  my 


Poor  Jack  109 

father,  after  a  pause,  taking  off  his  hat.     "  I  suspect  that 
I've  found  a  way  to  stop  your  tongue  as  well  as  my  wife's. 
•  Broadside  for  broadside,  that's  fair  play." 

So  saying,  my  father  stumped  away  out  of  the  shop-door. 
Mrs  St  Felix  put  her  apron  up  to  her  eyes,  with  her  elbows 
resting  on  the  counter.     I  waited  a  little,  and  then  I  said — 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Mrs  St  Felix  ? " 
She  started  at  my  voice. 

"  You  here,  Jack  ?  I  thought  you  had  gone  out  with 
your  father.  Well ! "  continued  she,  wiping  her  eyes, 
"  it  serves  me  right.  I  forgot  that  in  amusing  myself  I 
annoyed  him.  Jack,  don't  you  mention  anything  about 
this  ?     Do  you  think  your  father  will  ? " 

"I  don't  think  he  will,  for  he  cannot  do  so  without 
talking  about  having  his  pigtail  cut  off,  and  I  know  he 
cannot  bear  to  think  of  it." 

"  Well,  then,  pray  don't  you — that's  a  good  boy." 

"  I  never  will,  I  promise  you." 

"  Then,  good-night,  Jack — you  must  leave  me  now,  I 
don't  feel  quite  well." 

I  wished  the  widow  good-night,  and  went  back  to  my 
mother's  house.  My  father  was  there,  but  he  never  hinted 
at  the  conversation  which  had  taken  place,  neither  at  that 
time,  nor  afterwards. 


Chapter  XVI 

Showing  how  old  Nanny  fell  sick  and  got  well  again. 

Before  I  fell  asleep  that  night,  I  thought  a  great  deal  oi 
what  had  passed  between  the  widow  St  Felix  and  my 
father.  Why  should  she  have  shown  such  emotion,  and 
why  should  she  request  of  me  not  to  mention  what  had 
passed  ?  I  had  heard  reports  about  her,  as  I  have  before 
mentioned ;  I  had  heard  them  from  old  Nanny,  but  I  did 
not  put  any  confidence  in  what  she  said.     Thinking  of  old 


no  Poor  Jack 

Nanny  reminded  me  that  I  had  not  called  upon  her  for 
some  time,  and  I  resolved  that  I  would  visit  her  the  next 
day. 

It  was  not  until  late  in  the  evening  that  I  could  spare 
time  to  call  upon  her,  and,  what  was  not  usual,  I  went 
empty  handed.  I  found  to  my  surprise  that  the  door  was 
shut  to,  and  the  shutters  of  the  shop  not  taken  down.  I 
tried  the  latch ;  the  door  opened,  and  I  went  in. 

"  Who's  there  ?  "  screamed  old  Nanny  from  the  inner 
room.     "  What  do  you  want  ? " 

"  It's  only  poor  Jack,  mother,"  replied  I  j  "  come  to  see 
how  you  are." 

"Come  in?"  replied  she;  "I'm  very  bad.  Oh!  Oh! 
I  thought  it  was  some  thief  or  another,  come  to  steal  all 
the  things  in  my  shop." 

I  entered  the  room,  and  found  old  Nanny  in  bed ;  she 
looked  very  ill  and  miserable,  and  everything  was  very 
dirty. 

"  Are  you  not  well,  mother  ? "  said  I. 

"  Well,  boy  ?  No,  very  ill,  very  ill  indeed,  haven't 
left  my  bed  these  three  days.  Reach  me  a  little  water. 
Jack,  there's  a  good  boy  ?     I've  been  dying  for  water." 

I  handed  her  a  broken  jug,  which  had  some  water  in  it. 
She  drank  greedily,  so  as  to  spill  nearly  half  of  it  on  the 
coverlid. 

"  Oh !  how  good  it  is,"  exclaimed  the  old  woman,  as 
soon  as  she  recovered  her  breath  !  "  I'm  better  now.  I 
could  not  reach  it  myself.  I've  the  rheumatiz  so  bad ! 
I've  been  in  such  a  fright,  because  I  could  not  lock  the 
door — it  kept  me  awake  all  night  long,  Oh  !  my  poor  back." 

"  But,  why  did  you  not  send  for  the  doctor,  mother  ?  " 

"  Doctor  ?  Heh !  who's  to  pay  him  !  I've  got  no 
money.  Jack." 

"Weil,  but  Doctor  Tadpole's  very  kind." 

"  Yes,  yes  !  kind  to  the  widow  :  but  not  to  old  women 
like  me,  without  any  money." 

"But  why  not  have  some  one  to  sit  up  with  you,  and 
help  you  ? " 


Poor  Jack  1 1 1 

"  Sit  up  with  me  '  who'd  sit  up  with  me  ?  Yes,  if  I 
paid  them  ;  but  I've  no  money,  Jack  ;  and  then  I  don't 
know  them — they  might  rob  me — there's  a  great  many 
pretty  things  in  my  shop." 

"  But  you  might  die,  mother,  lying  here  without  any 
one  to  help  you." 

"  Die  .''  well,  and  who  would  care,  if  a  poor  old  woman 
like  me  died.  Jack  .''  " 

"  I  should  care,  for  one,  mother  ;  and  so  would  my 
sister  Virginia,  and  many  others  besides." 

'*  You  might  care.  Jack,  for  you're  a  good  boy ;  and  so 
might  your  little  sister,  for  she  has  a  kind  heart  ;  but, 
nobody  else.  Jack, — no — not  one  !  " 

I  could  not  reply  to  this  remark,  as  I  really  did  not 
know  anybody  who  would  have  cared  -,  so  I  said,  "  You 
must  see  the  doctor,  mother.     I  will  go  for  him." 

"  No,  Jack,  I  can't  afford  it,  it's  no  use  ;  besides,  I'm 
better  now." 

"  Well,  if  you  can't  afford  it,  you  shall  not  pay  him  ; 
and,  if  he  will  not  come  for  nothing,  I'll  pay  him  myself." 

*'  Will  you  pay  him.  Jack  ?  that's  a  good  boy — you 
promised  me  bargains  you  know— that  shall  be  one  of 
them." 

"Well  mother,  I'll  make  the  bargain  that  I'll  pay  him, 
if  you'll  see  him  ; — so  good-bye,  now — do  you  want  any- 
thing before  I  go  .''  " 

"  No,  Jack,  no,  I  don't  want  anything  ;  only  just  lock 
the  door,  and  take  the  key  with  you,  when  you  go  out  ; 
and  then  no  one  can  rob  me,  Jack,  whilst  you're  gone." 

I  complied  with  her  request,  and  ran  for  Doctor  Tadpole, 
whom  I  found  smoking  his  cigar  in  the  widow's  shop. 

"  Doctor,"  said  I,  "  old  Nanny  has  been  ill  in  bed  these 
three  days,  and  I  want  you  to  go  and  see  her." 

"  Does  she  send  you  to  me,  or  do  you  ask  it  yourself  ? " 
said  the  doctor,  "for  I  think  she  would  die  rather  than 
pay  the  doctor." 

"  As  for  that,  Mr  Tadpole,"  said  the  widow ;  "  there 
are  many  of  your  patients  who  send  for  the  doctor  without 


112  Poor  Jack 

ever  intending  to  pay  him.  Perhaps  old  Nanny  may  go  on 
the  same  plan." 

*'  Certainly,  that  alters  the  case.  Well,  Jack,  what's 
the  matter  with  her  ?  " 

"  Rheumatism,  and,  I  believe,  fever  ;  for  her  hand  is 
hot,  and  her  tongue  very  white.  She  was  lying  in  bed 
with  no  one  to  help  her  ;  and  had  not  strength  to  reach 
a  drop  of  water,  until  I  gave  it  to  her." 

"Poor  old  soul !  "  said  the  widow  •,  "  and  yet  they  say 
that  she  has  money." 

"I  don't  think  that  she  has  much,"  replied  I;  "for 
when  she  lent  me  the  twenty-eight  shillings,  she  had  not 
ten  shillings  more  in  the  bag  ;  but,  doctor,  I'll  pay  you,  I 
will  indeed  !     How  much  will  it  be  ?  " 

"  Now,  doctor,  just  put  on  your  hat,  and  set  off  as  soon 
as  you  please ;  for  if  poor  Jack  says  he'll  pay  you,  you 
know  that  your  money  is  as  safe  as  mine  was  in  the  bank, 
— before  it  failed." 

"  Well,  I'll  just  finish  my  cigar." 

"  Of  course  you  will,  as  you  walk  along,  Mr  Tadpole," 
replied  the  widow ;  "  it's  very  pleasant  to  smoke  in  the 
air,  and  just  as  unpleasant  to  others  your  smoldng  in  the 
house.  So,  doctor,  just  be  off  and  see  the  poor  old  wretch 
directly  •,  or, — I'll  be  affronted." 

Hereupon  the  doctor  took  up  his  hat,  and  without  reply 
walked  off  with  me.  When  we  arrived,  I  unlocked  the 
door,  and  we  went  in. 

"Well!  old  Nanny,  what's  the  matter  now?"  said 
Doctor  Tadpole. 

"  Nothing,  doctor,  nothing ;  you've  come  on  a  useless 
message ;  I  didn't  send  for  you,  recollect  that ;  it  was 
Jack  who  would  go ;  I  did  not  send,  recollect  that, 
doctor ;  I  can't  afford  it ;  I've  no  money." 

"  Very  well  j  I  sha'n't  look  to  you  for  money ;  put  out 
your  tongue,"  replied  the  doctor,  as  he  felt  her  pulse. 

"  Recollect,  doctor,  I  did  not  send  for  you.  Jack,  you 
are  witness — I've  no  money  ; "  repeated  old  Nanny. 

"  Put  out  your  tongue,"  repeated  the  doctor. 


Poor  Jack  113 

*'  No,  I  won't,  till  it's  all  clearly  settled." 

"  It  is,  you  old  fool,"  said  the  doctor  impatiently ; 
"  put  out  your  tongue." 

"  Jack,  you're  witness  it's  all  by  force,"  said  Nanny,  who 
at  last  put  out  her  tongue ;  "  and  now,  doctor,  I'll  tell 
you."  "Whereupon  Nanny  commenced  with  a  narrative 
of  her  ills ;  and  by  her  own  account  there  was  not  a 
portion  of  her  body  from  top  to  toe  which  had  not  some 
ailment. 

"  You've  a  very  bad  complaint,"  said  the  doctor  :— 
*'  what  d'ye  think  it  is  ?  It's  old  age.  I  hardly  know 
whether  I  can  cure  it." 

"Can  you  draw  the  pain  out  of  my  old  bones  ?"  said 
Nanny,  groaning. 

"  Why,  I'll  try,  at  all  events.  I  must  send  you  some- 
thing to  take  inwardly." 

"  Who's  to  pay  for  it  ? "  said  old  Nanny. 

*'  I  will,  mother  ; "  said  I. 

"  You're  witness,  doctor, — Jack  says  he'll  pay  for  it 
You're  a  good  boy,  Jack." 

"Well,  that's  settled — but  now,  we  must  have  some 
one  to  sit  up  with  you." 

*'  Sit  up  with  me  ?  nobody  will  sit  up  with  an  old  thing 
like  me." 

"Yes,  I  will,  mother,"  said  I,  "and  I'll  look  in  upon 
you  in  the  day-time,  and  see  if  you  want  to  drink." 

"No,  no,  Jack  !  then  you'll  make  no  money." 

"  Yes,  I  will — never  mind  that." 

"  Well !  at  all  events,"  replied  the  doctor,  "  Jack  will 
sit  up  with  you  this  night  j  and  we'll  see  how  you  are 
to-morrow.  Now,  Jack,  come  back  with  me,  and  I'll 
give  you  something  for  her.  Good-night,  Nanny,"  said 
the  doctor,  leaving  the  room. 

"  Good-night ; "  grumbled  old  Nanny ;  and  as  we 
were  going  through  the  shop,  I  heard  her  continue — 
"  It's  very  easy  saying  '  good-night,'  but  how  can  a  poor 
wretch  like  me,  with  every  bone  aching  as  if  it  would 
Split,  expect  to  have  a  '  good  night '  ?  " 

PJ.  H 


114  Poor  Jack 

As  the  doctor  v/alked  home,  he  appeared  not  to  be  in 
his  usual  talkative  mood.  He  went  to  the  shop,  made 
up  the  medicines,  and  gave  me  the  directions. 

"Here,  Jack,  take  these-,  and  it  will  be  a  kindness  to 
sit  up  with  her  to-night.  I  will  see  her  to-morrow  j 
and  as  I  can't  allow  you  to  be  the  only  good  Samaritan 
in  the  place,  understand  Jack  that  I  attend  the  poor  old 
woman,  and  find  medicine  for  nothing." 

I  thanked  him,  and  hastened  back.  Old  Nanny  took 
her  draught,  and  then  turned  round  on  her  side.  I 
suppose  there  was  opium  in  it,  for  she  soon  fell  fast 
asleep  j  not,  however,  until  she  had  said — 

**  Jack,  have  you  locked  the  door  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mother,  I  have." 

"  Well,  now,  don't  you  think  you  could  watch  without 
burning  a  candle  .? — You  a'n't  afraid  ?  " 

"  No,  mother,  Fm  not  afraid ;  but  if  I  do,  I  shall  fall 
asleep ;  and,  besides,  if  you  wake  and  want  anything, 
I  shall  not  be  able  to  find  it.  I  should  break  the  jug  and 
other  things,  and  they  would  cost  more  than  a  candle." 

"  Very  true.  Jack.  I  feel  sleepy  already  " — and  old 
Nanny  was  soon  in  a  loud  snore. 

I  had  stopped  at  my  mother's  to  say  that  I  intended  to 
stay  with  old  Nanny,  so  that  they  might  not  sit  up  for 
me;  and  now,  all  that  I  had  to  do  was  to  keep  myself 
awake.  I  had  forgotten  to  bring  a  book  with  me,  so 
I  looked  about  the  room  for  something  to  read  ;  but  I 
could  find  nothing.  At  last  I  ventured  to  open  a  drawer 
— it  creaked,  and  old  Nanny  was  roused.  "  Who's  that  ? " 
cried  she,  but  she  did  not  wake  up,  the  opiate  was  too 
powerful.  I  went  to  her;  she  was  in  a  perspiration, 
which  I  knew  was  what  the  doctor  wished.  I  put  the 
clothes  close  up  to  her  head,  and  left  her.  I  then  took 
the  candle  and  looked  into  the  drawer ;  and  found  a  book 
lying  in  a  corner  with  one  side  of  the  cover  off.  It  was 
very  dirty  and  stained.  I  took  it  out,  and  went  again  to 
my  chair,  and  opened  it.  it  was  Bunyan's  **  Pilgrim's  Pro- 
gress," and  full  of  plates.     I  had  never  heard  of  the  book, 


Poor  Jack  115 

and  did  not  know  what  the  title  meant.  I  first  looked 
at  all  the  plates,  and  then  I  turned  to  the  opening  of  the 
book.  On  the  blank  leaf  at  the  commencement,  in  very 
neat  and  lawyer-like  handwriting,  was  "  Anna  James,  on 
her  marriage,  from  her  dear  friend  Mary  Farquhar,  Tyne- 
mouth,  June  the  19th,  1738."  By  this  I  discovered,  as 
I  thought,  the  married  but  not  the  maiden  name  of  old 
Nanny ;  and  very  probably,  also,  that  Tynemouth  was 
her  native  place.  She  was  married,  too,  in  1 738,  that 
was  more  than  sixty  years  back — and  her  age  was,  there- 
fore, in  all  likelihood,  nearly  eighty  years.  I  pondered 
over  this  for  some  time,  and  then  I  commenced  reading ; 
and  so  interested  was  I  with  the  contents,  that  I  did  not 
raise  my  head,  until  the  candle  had  burnt  to  the  socket ; 
as  I  was  about  to  light  another,  I  perceived  daylight 
through  the  chinks  of  the  window-shutter.  So  I  laid 
down  the  book,  and  walking  softly  out  of  the  room, 
unlocked  the  shop-door,  to  get  a  little  fresh  air ;  for  the 
room  that  old  Nanny  was  sleeping  in  was,  from  dirt  and 
neglect,  very  close.  I  could  not,  however,  unlock  the 
door  without  waking  up  Nanny ;  who  screamed  out, 
"  Thieves  ! — murder  ! — thieves  ! — "  until  she  was  wide 
awake. 

"  Oh  ! — it  is  you,  Jack  ?  "  said  she  at  last.  "  I  dreamt 
there  were  thieves  breaking  in." 

"  Nothing  but  day  breaking  in,  mother,"  said  I ;  "  how 
do  you  feel  this  morning  ? " 

"Better,  Jack,  better;  I've  not  so  much  pain — but  I'm 
very  thirsty,  give  me  some  water  ? " 

'*  No,  mother ;  the  doctor  said  you  must  not  drink  cold 
water.  If  you'll  wait  a  little,  I'll  run  and  fetch  you  some- 
thing warm.  I  won't  be  gone  long,  so  try  to  go  to  sleep 
again." 

Old  Nanny  made  no  reply,  but  turned  her  face  away 
from  the  light,  as  if  in  obedience  to  my  orders.  I  locked 
the  outer  door,  and  hastened  home. 

I  found  my  mother  and  Virginia  sitting  in  the  nice  clean 
room,  the  fire  blazing  cheerfully,  and  the  breakfast  on  the 


ii6  Poor  Jack 

table,  and  I  could  not  help  making  the  contrast  in  my  own 
mind  between  it  and  the  dirty  abode  I  had  just  left.  I  ran 
into  the  back-kitchen  to  wash  my  face  and  hands,  and  then 
returned,  kissed  Virginia,  and  wished  my  mother  **  good 
morning."  Why,  I  do  not  know,  but  she  was  in  one  of 
her  worst  of  humours. 

"Don't  come  near  me,  or  near  your  sister  Virginia," 
said  she  sharply ;  "  who  knows  what  vermin  you  may 
have  brought  from  where  you  have  been  staying  all 
night  ? " 

I  did  feel  that  what  she  said  might  be  true. 

"  Well,  mother ! "  said  I,  "  I  won't  come  near  you  if 
you  don't  like,  but  I  want  some  tea  for  poor  old 
Nanny." 

"  I  can't  find  tea  for  old  Nannies  ;  "  replied  she. 

"  I'll  give  her  mine,  Jack ;  "  cried  Virginia. 

"  Indeed,  miss,  you'll  do  no  such  thing,"  said  my 
mother ;  "  and  sit  up  properly  to  table,  instead  of  hanging 
your  head  down  in  that  way  ;  and  don't  pour  your  tea  in 
your  saucer ;  that's  vulgar  !  " 

"The  tea's  so  hot,  mamma !  "  said  Virginia. 

"  Then  wait  till  it's  cool,  miss !  Leave  the  tea-pot 
alone,  sir ! " 

** I'll  thank  you  for  some  tea,  mother,"  replied  I.  "I 
shall  give  my  breakfast  to  old  Nanny." 

"  You'll  take  no  breakfast  out  of  this  house,"  was  the 
reply. 

*'  Why,  mother  ?  for  a  poor  sick  old  woman." 

"  Let  her  go  to  the  parish." 

I  now  became  angry  myself;  I  took  up  the  tea-pot,  and 
walked  away  into  the  back-kitchen :  my  mother  rose,  and 
followed  me ;  insisting  upon  my  putting  the  tea-pot  down  : 
but  I  would  not,  and  I  poured  out  the  tea  into  a  little 
milk-can.  I  did  not  answer  her,  but  I  felt  that  I  was 
right,  and  would  not  give  in ;  and  she  was  afraid  to 
attempt  force.  My  mother  then  ran  back  to  the  table — 
caught  up  the  sugar-basin,  and  carried  it  upstairs — singing 
as  she  went,  at  the  highest  pitch  of  her  voice — 


Poor  Jack  117 

"  What  are  little  girls  made  of,  made  of  ? 
Sugar  and  spice,  and  all  that's  nice ; 
And  that's  what  girls  are  made  of  1  " 

While  my  mother  was  away,  little  Virginia  poured  her 
cup  of  tea,  which  was  already  sweetened,  into  the  can.  I 
seized  some  bread  and  butter,  and  before  my  mother 
came  down  I  was  clear  of  the  house.  Old  Nanny  made 
a  good  breakfast ;  the  doctor  came,  and  said  that  she 
was  much  better,  and  would  soon  be  well.  The  doctor 
had  not  left  long  before  Peter  Anderson  came,  and  told 
me  to  go  and  mind  my  business,  and  that  he  would  sit 
by  old  Nanny.  Old  Ben,  who  had  heard  of  it,  also  called 
in ;  and  he  sat  up  with  her  the  next  night. 

"  Did  I  not  tell  you  that  there  were  others  who  cared 
for  you,  Nanny  ?  "  said  I,  a  few  days  afterwards. 

"  Yes,  you  did.  Jack ;  but  I  did  not  believe  you  ;  the 
world  is  better  than  I  thought  it  was.  But  how  will  you 
pay  the  doctor.  Jack  ?  " 

"  The  doctor  'tended  you  for  nothing  ;  he  told  me  so 
the  first  night." 

*'  Well,  and  that  widow,  too  ! — it's  kind  of  her  to  send 
me  tea  and  sugar,  and  such  nice  things  to  eat." 

"  Yes,  mother,  it  is." 

"  And  your  father,  to  bring  your  little  dear  sister,  so 
nice  and  clean,  to  come  and  see  an  old  wretch  like  me,  in 
such  a  dirty  hole.  Ah,  Jack !  now  I'm  getting  well 
again,  I  like  the  world  better  than  I  did." 

In  a  few  days  old  Nanny  had  again  opened  her  shop, 
sitting  at  the  door  as  usual ;  and,  as  the  spring  was  now 
well  advanced,  she  gradually  recovered  her  strength. 
When  I  gave  up  my  office  of  nurse,  she  did  not,  however, 
forget  to  tell  me  to  bring  her  good  bargains,  as  I  had 
promised  that  I  would. 


ii8  Poor  Jack 

Chapter  XVII 

A  morning  concert — in  which  the  opposition  is  as  great  as  black  to  white 

Among  my  father's  associates  there  was  a  man,  of  about 
forty  years  of  age — Dick  Harness  by  name.  He  had 
received  a  wound  in  the  hip,  from  a  grape-shot ;  and  his 
leg  having  in  consequence  contracted,  it  occasioned  him 
to  limp  very  much ;  but  he  was  as  strong  and  hearty  in 
ail  other  respects  as  a  man  could  be.  He  was  a  very 
merry  fellow,  full  of  jokes  ;  and  if  any  one  told  a  story, 
which  was  at  all  verging  on  the  marvellous,  he  was  sure 
to  tell  another  which  would  be  still  more  incredible.  He 
played  the  fiddle,  and  sang  to  his  own  accompaniments, 
which  were  very  droll,  as  he  extracted  very  strange  noises 
from  his  instrument ;  sometimes  his  bow  would  be  on 
the  wrong  side  of  the  bridge,  sometimes  down  at  the 
keys ;  besides  which,  he  produced  sounds  by  thumping 
the  fiddle  as  well  as  by  touching  its  strings,  as  a  guitar ; 
indeed,  he  could  imitate,  in  a  certain  way,  almost  every 
instrument,  and  most  of  the  noises  made  by  animals.  He 
had  one  fault,  for  which  he  used  to  be  occasionally 
punished ;  which  was,  he  was  too  fond  of  the  bottle : 
but  he  was  a  great  favourite,  and  therefore  screened  by 
the  men,  and  as  much  as  possible  overlooked  by  the 
officers.  The  punishment  for  a  pensioner  getting  drunk, 
was  at  that  time  being  made  to  wear  a  yellow  instead  of  a 
blue  coat,  which  made  a  man  look  very  conspicuous. 

I  recollect  one  day  he  had  the  yellow  coat  on,  when 
a  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  came  to  see  the  Hospital. 
Perceiving  that  he  was  dressed  so  differently  from  the 
other  pensioners,  one  of  the  ladies'  curiosity  was  excited ; 
and  at  last  she  called  him  to  her  and  said,  "Pray,  my 
good  man,  why  do  you  wear  a  yellow  coat,  when  the 
other  pensioners  have  blue  ones  ? " 

"  Bless  your  handsome  face.  Ma'am ! "  replied  Dick, 
*•  don't  you  really  know  ? " — "  No,  indeed  !  "  replied  she. 


Poor  Jack  119 

""Well  then,  Ma'am,  perhaps  you  may  have  heard  ot 
the  glorious  battle  of  the  Nile,  in  which  Nelson  gave 
the  French  such  a  drubbing  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  cried  all  the  ladies  and  gentlemen,  who 
had  now  crowded  about  him.  *'  Well,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  in  that  great  victory  ; 
and  all  we  Nilers,  as  we  are  called,  are  permitted  to  wear 
a  yellow  coat  as  a  mark  of  distinction,  while  the  common 
pensioners  wear  nothing  but  blue." 

"Dear  me!"  said  the  lady,  "and  do  I  really  speak  to 
one  of  those  brave  fellows  who  fought  at  the  battle  of 
the  Nile  ? "  and  she  put  her  hand  into  her  pocket,  and 
pulled  out  five  shillings.  "  There,"  said  she,  "  I  hope 
you'll  not  be  affronted,  but  accept  this  from  me." 

"Not  at  all,  Ma'am,"  replied  Dick,  pocketing  the 
money. 

Then  the  whole  party  made  a  subscription  for  him,  and 
Dick  went  off  with  a  handful  of  silver. 

There  was,  however,  another  man  who  contributed 
much  to  the  fun  created  by  Dick  Harness.  He  was  an 
American  black,  who  had  served  as  cook  in  the  Majestic 
and  had  been  wounded  in  the  battle  of  the  Nile ;  he  had 
received  a  bullet  in  the  knee,  which  had  occasioned  a  stiff 
joint ;  and,  as  his  leg  was  bent,  he  wore  a  short  wooden 
stump.  He  also  could  play  his  fiddle  and  sing  his  songs ; 
but  in  neither  case  so  well  as  Dick  Harness,  although  he 
thought  otherwise  himself.  We  used  to  call  him  Opposi- 
tion Bill  J  but  his  name  was  Bill  White,  at  least  that  was 
the  purser's  name  that  he  went  by  when  on  board  of  a 
man-of-war.  His  pleasure  was  to  follow  Dick  Harness 
everywhere  j  and  if  Dick  sung,  he  would  sing — if  Dick 
played,  he  would  play  also ;  not  at  the  same  time,  but 
if  Dick  stopped  Bill  would  strike  up.  Dick  used  to  call 
him  his  black  shadow ;  and  sometimes  he  would  execute 
a  flourish  on  his  fiddle,  which  would  be  quite  a  puzzler 
to  Opposition  Bill,  who  would  attempt  something  of  the 
kind,  which  invariably  set  everyone  laughing.  At  last, 
Dick  Harness's  performances  were  not  considered  to  be 


I20  Poor  Jack 

complete,  if  Opposition  Bill  was  not  in  his  company ;  and, 
as  they  were  both  very  good-tempered  funny  fellows, 
they  were  a  great  amusement,  especially  in  the  fine  weather, 
when  they  would  sit  on  the  benches  upon  the  terrace 
about  six  or  eight  yards  apart,  for  they  seldom  came 
nearer,  and  play  and  sing  alternately.  The  songs  sung 
by  Dick  Harness  were  chiefly  old  sea-songs ;  those  of 
Opposition  Bill  were  picked  up  from  every  part  of  the 
world;  principally,  however,  those  sung  by  the  negroes 
who  worked  on  the  plantations  in  Virginia  and  Carolina. 

Peter  Anderson,  my  father,  Ben,  and  many  others, 
were  sitting  on  the  benches,  basking  in  the  morning's 
sun,  when  Dick  Harness  made  his  appearance,  limping 
along  with  his  fiddle  under  his  arm. 

"Come  along,  Dick.'*"  said  Ben  the  Whaler,  "we'll 
stow  close,  and  make  room  for  you  here." 

"  You  must  make  elbow-room  too,  my  hearty,  or  I 
sha'n't  be  able  to  fiddle.  Come,  what  will  you  have 
this  fine  morning  ? "  said  Harness,  tuning  his  instrument. 
As  soon  as  it  was  in  tune,  he  flourished  a  prelude  from 
the  top  of  the  scale  to  the  bottom,  ending  with  an  "  Eh- 
haw  !  eh-haw  !  "  in  imitation  of  the  braying  of  a  donkey. 

"Give  us  the  Spanish  Ladies,  Dick?"  said  my  father. 
As  this  song  was  very  popular  at  that  time  among  the 
seamen,  and  is  now  almost  forgotten,  I  shall,  by  inserting 
it  here,  for  a  short  time  rescue  it  from  oblivion. 

"  Farewell  and  adieu  to  you,  Spanish  ladies. 
Farewell  and  adieu  to  you,  ladies  of  Spain ; 

For  we  have  received  orders 

For  to  sail  to  old  England, 
But  we  hope  in  a  short  time  to  see  you  again, 

"  Stop  a  moment,  lads !  I  must  screw  him  up  a  little 
more."  Dick  regulated  his  first  string,  and  then  con- 
tinued. 

"  We'll  rant  and  we'll  roar,  like  true  British  sailors, 
We'll  rant  and  we'll  roar  across  the  salt  seas; 
Until  we  strike  soundings 
In  the  Channel  of  old  England, 
(From  Ushant  to  Scilly   tis  thirty-five  leagues j. 


Poor  Jack  i2i. 

Then  we  hove  our  ship  to,  with  the  wind  at  sou'west,  my  boys, 
Then  we  hove  our  ship  to,  for  to  strike  soundings  clear  ; 

Then  we  filled  the  main  topsail 

And  bore  right  away,  my  boys, 
And  straight  up  the  Channel  of  old  England  did  steer. 

So  the  first  land  we  made,  it  is  called  the  Deadman, 

Next  Ram  Head,  off  Plymouth,  Start,  Portland,  and  the  Wigi-t; 

We  sail-ed  by  Beachy, 

By  Fairly  and  Dungeness, 
And  then  bore  away  for  the  South  Foreland  light. 

*'  Now  the  signal  it  was  made  for  the  grand  fleet  to  anchor 
All  in  the  Downs  that  night  for  to  meet ; 

Then  stand  by  your  stoppers, 

See  clear  your  shank  painters, 
Hawl  all  your  clew  garnets,  stick  out  tacks  and  sheets." 

Here  Dick  was  interrupted  by  another  fiddle,  which 
went,  "  turn,  turn — scrape — turn,  turn." 

"There's  Opposition  Bill,  Dick,"  said  my  father;  "I 
thought  you  would  bring  him  out." 

"  All's  right,"  replied  Dick ;  "  hope  he  ara't  affronted 
— but  he  looks  very  black  this  morning." 

"  Now  let  every  man  take  off  his  full  bumper, 
Let  every  man  take  off  his  full  bowl ; 

For  we  will  be  jolly 

And  drown  melancholy. 
With  a  health  to  each  jovial  and  true-hearted  soul." 

"  Now  then,  Billy,  fire  away." 

"  You  tink  I  'bey  your  order,  you  Dick  ? — No  sar, 
suppose  I  fire  away,  I  go  off — I  not  go  off,  I  stay  here." 

"Well,  but  if  you  play,  you'll  get  in  trouble,  Billy." 

"  How  I  get  in  trouble  ? " 

"  Why  you'll  get  in  a  scrape,  won't  you  ? " 

"  He !  you  just  got  out  of  one,  any  how." 

Dick  Harness  then  said  to  those  who  sat  by  him,  "  I'll 
make  him  sing  the  Negro  General." 

"  Well !  if  you  will  howl,  Mr  Billy,"  cried  out  Harness, 
"at  all  events,  don't  give  us  that  abominable  Nigger 
General — it  always  gives  me  the  tooth-ache." 

"Now,  I  tink  dat  very  fine  song — so  you  may  have 


122  Poor  Jack 

whole  jaw-ache,  for  all  I  care.  I  sing  dat,  Mr  Dick — you 
jealous  of  dat  song,  I  know." 

Opposition    Billy   flourished  a   little,    and    then    com- 
menced— 

"  Listen,  my  boys,  and  I  will  tell  you — 
Tell  you  a  leetle  'bout  Gin'ral  Gabriel. 

Oh-e-oh!  Oh-e-oh ! 
"  Dey  advertise  de  Nigger  Gin'ral, 
A  dousand  pounds  dey  advertise  him. 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done ! 

"  And  who  betrayed  de  Nigger  Gin'ral  ? 
A  ieetle  boy  betrayed  de  Gin'ral. 

Oh-e-oh!  Oh-e-oh! 
"  A  leetle  boy  by  de  name  of  Daniel, 
Betrayed  him  down  at  Norfolk  Landing. 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done ! 

"  He  says,  how  do  my  uncle  Gabriel  ? 
Eut  dis  is  not  your  uncle  Gabriel. 

Oh-e-oh !  Oh-e-oh  1 
"  Yes  it  is  my  uncle  Gabriel ; 
For  I  do  know  you,  uncle  Gabriel, 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done  t 

"  De  man  belonged  to  Major  Prosser, 
So  cum  and  hang  de  Nigger  Gin'ral. 

Oh-e-oh!  Oh-e-oh  I 
"For  he's  ruined  old  Virginny ! 
Hard  times  in  old  Virginny. 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done! 

"  Dey  wrote  a  letter  to  de  tailor 
To  cut  out  de  Gin'ral's  ruffles. 

Oh-e-oh!  Oh-e-oh  1 
"Dey  cut  de  ruffles  out  o'  iron/ 
So  they  handcuff  and  chained  him. 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done! 

"  Dey  went  and  called  a  troop  of  light  horse, 
To  come  and  guard  de  Nigger  Gin'ral ! 

Oh-e-oh  I  Oh-e-oh  r 
«  To  guard  him  all  to  de  city  of  Richmond, 
To  guard  him  up  unto  de  justice. 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done ! 

♦'  De  justice  tui  him  to  de  gobnor — 
(Monroe  he  set  up  for  gobnor.) 

Oh-e-oh  I  Oh-e-oh  I 
"  Command  him  to  de  Penetenshy, — 
On  Thursday-week  come  on  his  trial. 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done  I 


Poor  Jack  125 

*'  Dey  went  and  called  all  de  country 
For  to  come  and  see  de  Nigger  Gin'ral, 

Oh-e-oh!  Oh-e-oh ! 
"  Some  dey  call  him  Archy  Mullen — 
'  My  right  name  is  John  Decullen. ' 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done  1 

" '  I'm  here  to-day,  and  gone  to-morrow  ; 
I  did  not  come  for  to  stay  for  eber.' 

Oh-e-oh  !  Oh-e-oh ! 
•'  So  den  dey  tuk  him  to  de  gallows, 
Drive  him  down  dere  in  a  waggon. 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done ! 

"  Dey  drive  him  down  unto  de  gallows, 
Dey  drive  him  down  with  four  grey  horses. 

Oh-e-oh!  Oh-e-oh! 
"  (Price's  Ben,  he  drive  de  waggon) 
Very  sad  loss  to  Major  Prosser. 

Oh,  my  boys,  I'm  most  done  I 

"  Dey  drove  him  right  beneath  de  gallows, 
And  den  dey  hang  him  and  dey  swing  him. 

Oh-e-oh!  Oh-e-oh! 
"  And  dat  de  fate  of  de  Nigger  Gin'ral, 
Who  almost  ruined  old  Virginny  ! 

Now,  my  boys,  I'm  quite  done !  " 

•'  You've  quite  done,  have  you,  Billy  ?  "  said  Harness ; 
**  take  my  advice,  and  never  begin  again." 

"  Eh,  Mister  Dick ;  you  no  ab  song  like  dat  in  your 
budget ;  and  I  nebber  give  you  de  tune." 

*'  I  hope  you  won't — but  now  I'll  play  you  a  tune  which 
will  beat  you  hollow."  Hereupon,  Dick  Harness  imitated 
the  squeaking  of  pigs  and  caterwauling  of  cats  upon  his 
fiddle,  so  as  to  set  everybody  laughing,  except  Opposition 
Bill,  who  pretended  to  be  very  sulky. 

"  Come,  Dick,  it's  your  turn  now.  Give  us  a  regular 
forecastle  song  ? "  said  Ben  the  Whaler. 

"  Well,  then — here's  one  that's  been  sung  ever  since  the 
days  of  old  Queen  Anne. 

"  It  was  one  November — the  second  day — 
The  admiral  he  bore  away ; 
Intending  for  his  native  shore. 
The  wind  at  sou'sou'west  did  roar ; 
There  was  likewise  a  terrible  sky, 
Which  made  the  sea  to  run  mountains  high. 


124  Poor  Jack 


"  The  tide  of  ebb,  it  was  not  done. 
But  fiercely  to  the  west  did  run; 
Which  put  us  all  in  terrible  fear, 
Because  there  was  not  room  for  to  veer. 
The  wind  and  weather  increased  sore, 
And  drove  ten  sail  of  us  on  shore. 

"  Ashore  went  the  Northumberland, 
The  Hartvich,  and  the  Cumberland, 
The  Lion  and  the  Warivid,  too  ; 
But  the  Elizabeth  had  the  most  to  rue. — 
She  came  stem  on — her  fore-foot  broke, 
And  she  sunk  the  Gloucester  at  one  stroke. 

•'  But  now  remains  what  is  worse  to  tell. 
The  greatest  ships  had  the  greatest  knell  j 
The  brave  C'ronation  and  all  her  men 
Was  lost  and  drownded  every  one, 
Except  the  mate  and  eighteen  more, 
What  in  the  long  boat  com'd  ashore. 

"  And  thus  they  lost  their  precious  lives ; 
But  the  greatest  loss  was  to  their  wives  5 
Who,  with  their  children  left  on  shore, 
Their  husbands'  watery  death  deplore  ; 
And  wept  their  loss  with  many  tears ; 
(But  grief  endureth  not  for  years). 

"'  Now  you  who've  a  mind  to  go  to  sea, 
Pray  take  a  useful  hint  from  me. 
And  live  at  home,  and  be  content 
With  what  kind  Providence  has  sent ; 
For  they  were  punish'd  for  their  misdeeds, 
In  grumbling  when  they  had  no  needs. 

«'  Now  God  preserve  our  noble  queen. 
Likewise  her  ministers  serene ; 
And  may  they  ever  steer  a  course, 
To  make  things  better  'stead  of  worse, 
And  England's  flag  triumphant  fly, 
The  dread  of  hevery  he-ne-my." 

"  You  call  dat  singing  !  Stop  now  !  I  sing  a  song  you 
nebber  hear  in  ail  you  life,"  cried  Opposition  Bill,  tuning 
his  fiddle. 

*'  And  never  wish  to  hear  again,  most  likely,"  replied 
Dick.  "  Out  with  it.  Bill !  your  face  shines  beautifully 
this  morning." 


Poor  Jack  125 

**  I  take  de  shine  out  of  you,  Massa  Dick  ;  now  you 
listen." 

"  Now  your  fader  is  asleep,  maid,  listen  unto  me ; 
Will  you  follow  in  my  trail  to  Ken-tuck-y  ; 
For  cross  de  Alleghany  to-morrow  I  must  go, 
To  chace  de  bounding  deer  on  de  O-hi-o. 

"  And  will  you  lub  me  truly,  and  kind  to  me  will  be, 
If  I  quit  my  fader's  roof  for  Ken-tuck-y. 
And  will  you  nebber  leave  me,  if  I  consent  to  go 
To  your  Shanty,  by  de  stream  of  de  O-hi-o  ? 

**  Her  fader's  not  asleep,  and  he  will  not  agree, 
Dat  you  take  away  his  dater  to  Ken-tuck-y. 
So  alone  by  yourself,  good  hunter,  you  must  go. 
Where  the  Ingin's  rifle  cracks  on  de  O-hi-o, 

'*  Your  moder,  too,  is  near,  aWough  you  did  not  see ; 
And  wid  her  leave  you  nebber  go  to  Ken-tuck-y. 
He  hab  a  wife  already,  as  I  do  surely  know, 
Who  weeps  for  his  return  to  de  O-hi-o. 

"  Man,  I  have  dis  purse  of  gold,  half  of  it  for  ye, 
Woman,  I  hab  ne'er  a  wife  in  Ken-tuck-y  : 
Your  dater  is  my  only  lub,  so  pridee  let  us  go 
To  where  my  corn  is  ripening  on  de  O-hi-o. 

"De  fader  weighed  de  purse,  he  took  his  half  wid  glee, 
De  moder  said  her  child  might  go  to  Ken-tuck-y. 
So  de  hunter  and  de  maid,  arm  in  arm  dey  go 
Across  de  Alleghany  to  de  O-hi-o." 

"  Bravo,  Billy,  that's  not  so  bad  !  "  said  some  of  the 
pensioners. 

'*  I  tell  you,  Dick,  I  take  de  shine  out  of  you.  You 
nebber  believe,  till  I  make  you  fall  in  my  wake — and 
den  you  soon  be  where  de  little  boat  was — long  way 
as tarn." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  Billy,"  said  Dick  Harness  j  "  you 
do  improve,  and  we'll  allow  you  to  sing  that  song  once 
more  before  you  die,  just  by  way  of  encouragement." 

Dick  then  played  several  flourishes  on  his  fiddle. 
Opposition  Bill  tried  to  imitate  him,  but  made  sad  work  of 
it.     It  was  near  dinner-time,  and  the  pensioners  rose,  and 


126  Poor  Jack 

proceeded  to  the  painted  hall ;  for  at  that  time  they  dined 
there,  and  not  below  in  the  crypts,  as  they  do  now. 


Chapter   XVIII 

I  get  into  very  doubtful  company. — I  am  tempted,  and,  IHie  a  true  son  of 
Adam,  I  fall. 

The  reader  must  have  observed,  that,  under  the  tuition  of 
Anderson,  I  promised  to  follow  the  right  path,  and, 
provided  lus  good  offices  were  not  interfered  with,  there 
appeared  little  doubt  but  that  such  would  be  the  case ; 
but  I  was  little  aware,  nor  was  he,  that  the  humble 
profession  which  I  had  chosen  for  myself  was  beset  with 
danger,  and  that  the  majority  of  those  with  whom  I  was 
associating,  were  the  most  likely  of  all  others  to  lead  me 
into  evil.  Why  I  had  not  hitherto  been  tempted  can  only 
be  ascribed  to  my  tender  years.  In  fact,  I  had  not  been 
considered  strong  enough,  or  of  an  age,  to  be  useful  to 
them ;  but  now  that  I  was  more  than  thirteen  years  old, 
being  moreover  very  tall  and  strong  for  my  age,  the  hour 
of  temptation  arrived ;  and  fortunate  was  it  for  me  that, 
previous  to  this  epoch,  I  had  been  taken  under  the 
protection  of  Peter  Anderson. 

I  have  said,  in  a  former  chapter,  that  I  was  a  regular 
mud-larher  ;  so  I  was,  as  far  as  the  ostensible  occupation  of 
those  who  are  so  denominated  went,  to  wit ;  **  picking  up 
pieces  of  old  rope,  wood,  &c ; "  but  the  mud-larkers, 
properly  speaking,  at  that  time  composed  a  very  extensive 
body  on  the  river,  and  were  a  more  humble  portion  of  the 
numerous  river  depredators,  of  which  I  may  hereafter 
speak.  A  mud-larker  was  a  man  who  had  an  old  boat, 
generally  sold  by  some  merchant  vessel,  furnished  with  an 
iron  bar  full  of  hooks,  which  was  lowered  down  by  a  rope 
to  catch  pieces  of  cordage,  oakum,  canvas,  or  other 
articles,  which  might  fall  overboard  from  the  numerous 
vessels  in  the  river.    These  were  sold  to  the  marine  stores, 


Poor  Jack  127 

such  as  were  kept  by  old  Nanny  ;  but,  as  I  observed,  this 
was  the  ostensible  mode  of  livelihood ;  they  had  other 
resources  to  which  I  shall  presently  refer.  An  old  man  of 
the  name  of  Jones,  who  resided  at  Greenwich,  was  one  of 
these  mud-larkers  by  profession.  He  was  a  surly  old 
fellow,  his  sharp  nose  and  chin  nearly  meeting,  and  he 
usually  went  by  the  name  of  Old  Grumble.  I  had  occa- 
sionally assisted  him  with  his  boat,  but  without  receiving 
money,  or  indeed  thanks,  for  my  pains  ;  but  for  this  I 
cared  little.  He  was  a  very  old  man  ;  and  when  he  came 
on  shore,  and  went  up  to  old  Nanny,  with  the  few  things 
he  had  collected  during  the  day,  I  almost  wondered  how 
he  could  manage  to  subsist,  and  thought  myself  infinitely 
better  oiF  than  he  was. 

One  evening  he  said  to  me,  "  Jack,  I'm  going  up  the 
river ;  I  wish  you'd  come  in  the  boat  and  help  me  ;  and  if 
I  make  anything,  I  will  give  you  something  for  your 
trouble  ;  but  if  I  don't,  you  can't  expect  it."  As  he  was 
very  infirm,  I  went  with  him,  more  out  of  charity  than 
with  any  hopes  of  profit.  We  pulled  with  the  tide  till  we 
arrived  a  little  above  Deptford,  where  several  ships  were 
lying,  and  he  went  close  to  one  and  lowered  down  his 
grapnels.     He  dragged  for  a  short  time. 

"  Just  you  make  a  little  farther  off,  old  fellow,"  cried 
the  mate  of  the  vessel. 

"  Wo'n't  allow  a  poor  old  man  to  earn  a  few  pence,  I 
suppose,"  replied  Old  Grumble,  hauling  up  his  grapnel, 
and  directing  me  to  pull  under  the  bows,  where  he 
dropped  it  down  again.  I  now  perceived,  as  I  thought, 
some  signs  passing  between  him  and  one  of  the  men  in  the 
head  ;  but  if  so,  they  were  soon  over,  and  Old  Grumble 
continued  his  avocation  till  the  sun  set. 

"  How  long  do  you  intend  to  remain  here  ?  "  inquired  I. 

<*  Oh !  not  much  longer ;  but  I  must  wait  a  bit."  At 
last  it  was  quite  dark,  and  then  Grumble  pulled  up  his 
grapnel  and  dropped  down  nearer  to  the  cutwater  of  the 
vessel.  I  soon  distinguished  a  tinkling,  as  it  were,  of  metal ; 
and  Old  Grumble,  holding  up  his  hands,  received  some 


128  Poor  Jack 

sheets  of  copper,  which  were  lowered  down  by  a  rope- 
yarn.  As  soon  as  they  were  quietly  landed  in  the  stern  of 
the  boat,  down  came  a  bag,  which  he  cast  off  and  laid 
beside  the  copper.  I  was  all  astonishment ;  but  still  more 
so,  when  a  large  bag  of  something  weighing  very  heavy 
was  lowered  down  by  a  rope  after  the  small  bag.  A  low 
whistle  was  then  given,  and  the  words  "  Monday  night" 
pronounced  in  a  whisper.  Grumble  whistled  in  return ; 
and  then,  hauling  up  the  grapnel,  he  told  me  to  put  out 
the  oars  and  pull,  while  he  took  his  grapnel  on  board. 
We  then  pulled  down  the  river  again,  for  the  tide  had 
turned  j  and  as  soon  as  we  were  clear  of  the  shipping,  I 
began  to  interrogate  him. 

"  Who  gave  you  all  these  things  ? " — "  Who  !  why,  that 
man." 

"  But  what  did  he  give  them  you  for  ? " 

"  Why,  out  of  charity,  to  be  sure ;  but  I  can't  talk  now, 
I've  no  breath  to  spare.  Let's  pull  ashore,  and  then  I'll 
talk  to  you." 

As  we  pulled  down,  I  observed  that  a  lighter  had  broken 
adrift  from  her  moorings,  and  was  sweeping  down  the 
river  with  the  ebb  tide.    "  There's  a  lighter  adrift,"  said  I. 

*'  Yes,"  replied  Grumble  ;  "  I'm  too  old  for  that  work 
now ; — -time  was  ; — there'll  be  pretty  pickings  as  soon  as 
she  gets  down  a  little  lower.  The  Light  Horsemen  have 
cut  her  adrift." 

"  Light  Horsemen  !     V/ho  are  they  ? " 

**  Bah  !  you  know  nothing  j — I  tell  ye  again,  I  hav'n't  no 
breath  to  spare — I  can't  pull  and  talk  too." 

I  was  convinced  in  my  own  mind  that  Old  Grumble  had 
not  obtained  the  articles  in  the  boat  by  fair  means,  and 
annoyed  that  I  should  have  been  made  a  participator  in  any 
dishonest  dealings  ;  I  was  resolved  to  question  him  closely 
as  soon  as  we  landed.  There  was  no  one  at  the  steps  ;  and 
when  we  beached  the  boat,  I  asked  him  whether  he  was 
going  to  take  the  things  up  to  old  Nanny's. 

*'01d  Nanny!  no.  She's  no  fence  now:  she  used  to 
be  a  good  one ;  but  she  was  overhauled  once  or  twice,  and 


Poor  Jack  129 

nearly  sent  on  the  other  side  of  the  water,  and,  since  that, 
she's  satisfied  with  little  articles,  sure  profit  and  no 
risk." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  a  fence  ? "  enquired  I. 

"Why,  don't  you  know  that  yet,  boy  ?  Well,  defence  is 
one  who  receives  things  that  are  brought  for  sale,  and 
never  asks  no  questions." 

"Well,  but  if  these  things  were  given  you  out  of 
charity,  as  you  say,  why  should  you  want  to  take  them  up 
to  a  fence,  as  you  call  it  ? " 

"  I  tell  you  what,  Jack ;  I  can't  be  answering  all  these 
questions  here,  where  there  may  be  twenty  pair  of  ears  a 
listening." 

"  Well,  and  if  they  do  listen,  what  is  the  harm,  if  we 
are  doing  what  is  right  }  " 

**  It  wo'n't  do  to  argufy  here,  I  tell  you.  In  my  opinion^ 
a  poor  man  who  works  hard  to  get  some  victuals  to  keep 
body  and  soul  together  is  doing  what  is  right." 

"  Yes,  if  he  works  at  an  honest  livelihood." 

"Don't  talk  so  loud  about  honesty;  the  very  word  is 
enough  to  make  people  suspect  something  not  right.  I'll 
tell  you  all,  when  you  come  up  to  my  house ;  for  you  see, 
Jack,  you  must  help  me  to  carry  these  things  up.  D'ye 
think  you  can  manage  this  bag  of  pease  ?  Let's  try  !  '* 
Between  us,  we  contrived  to  get  the  bag,  which  weighed 
about  half  a  hundredweight,  on  my  back,  and  I  walked 
off  with  it ;  Grumble  following  me  with  the  copper  and 
the  other  small  bag,  which  I  afterwards  found  contained 
copper  nails.  When  we  arrived  at  his  dwelling,  which 
was  as  dilapidated  and  miserable  as  old  Nanny's,  he  took 
out  his  key  and  fumbled  a  long  while  at  the  lock ;  at  last 
he  opened  it.  "  You  had  better  stay  till  I  get  a  light,"  said 
he.  In  a  minute  he  came  with  one  to  the  door,  and  told 
me  to  follow  him.  I  went  in,  put  down  the  bag,  and,, 
same  grains  falling  out,  I  took  them  up. 

"Why,  this  is  coffee,  Grumble!" — "  Well,  j>i?flj-^  is  our 
name  for  coffee,  sand  for  sugar,  and  vinegar  for  rum,  when 
we  get  any." 

P.J.  I 


130  Poor  Jack 

"  Well,  but,  Grumble,  I  wish  to  know  how  you  came 
by  these  things." 

"I'll  tell  you.  Jack,  if  you  ask  everybody  how  they 
come  by  things,  you  will  have  enough  to  do ;  but  the  fact 
is,  the  man  wants  me  to  sell  them  for  him." 

"  Why,  you  said  he  gave  them  to  you  out  of  charity  !  " 

"  Oh,  that  was  only  because  I  couldn't  spare  breath  to 
tell  you  all  about  it." 

"  But  why  should  he  lower  them  down  in  the  dark,  if 
they  are  his  own  property  ? " 

"  Jack,  I  don't  ask  whose  property  it  is  ;  all  I  know  is, 
that  I  come  by  it  honestly.  I  don't  steal  it,  and  I  can't 
prove  that  the  man  does.  Why,  Jack,  if  one  is  to  be  so 
nice  as  that,  you  can't  go  into  a  grocer's  shop  to  buy 
sugar,  or  coffee,  or  pepper,  or  indeed  into  almost  any  shop, 
if  you  first  want  to  know  whether  the  people  have  come 
by  the  goods  honestly  before  you  buy  of  them." 

**  Still,  it  is  so  plain,  that  the  man  must  have  stolen 
them." 

"  Suppose  it  is ;  how  are  so  many  poor  people  to  find 
their  livelihood  and  support  their  families,  if  they  refuse  to 
get  a  shilling  or  two  when  it  is  offered  ?  If  we  were  only 
to  live  upon  what  we  get  honestly,  why,  we  should  starve : 
the  rich  take  good  care  of  that  by  grinding  us  down  so 
close.  Why,  Jack,  how  many  thousands  get  their  living 
on  this  river !  and  do  you  think  they  could  all  get  their 
living  honestly,  as  you  call  it  ?  No ;  we  all  plunder  one 
another  in  this  world.*  You  asked  me,  who  were  Light 
Horsemen  ? — that's  a  name  for  one  set  of  people  who  live 
by  plunder; — that  lighter  will  have  a  good  slice  of  her 
cargo  out  to-night ;  for  those  who  cut  her  adrift,  know 
what's  on  board  of  her.     Then  we  have  the  Heavy  Horse- 

*  These  remarkt  of  Grumble  were,  at  the  time,  perfectly  correct ;  it  was 
before  the  Wet  Docks  or  the  River  Police  was  established.  Previously  to 
the  West  India,  London,  St  Katherine's,  and  other  docks  having  been  made, 
all  ships  unloaded  in  the  river,  and  the  depredations  were  so  enormous,  that 
Mr  Colquhoun,  in  his  work,  has  estimated  them  at  half  a  million  sterling 
annually.  At  present,  the  river  may  be  said  to  be  comparatively  honest ; 
the  police  is  strict,  and  the  temptations  are  removed. 


Poor  Jack  131 

men, — they  do  their  work  in  day-time,  when  they  go  on 
board  as  Lumpers  to  clear  the  ships.  And  then  we've  the 
Coopers  and  Bumboat  men,  and  the  Rat-catchers  and  the 
Scuffle  Hunters,  and  the  River  Pirates ;  and,  last  of  all, 
we  have  the  Mud-larkers :  all  different  professions,  Jack ; 
never  interfering  with  each  other,  and  all  living  by  their 
wits.  I'm  too  old  now ;  I  was  a  flash  pirate  once ;  but 
I'm  now  nearly  eighty,  and  am  only  fit  for  a  Mud-larker." 

"But,"  exclaimed  I  with  astonishment,  "are  they  not 
discovered  and  punished  ?  " 

"  That's  very  seldom,  Jack ;  for  you  see  we  have 
receivers  all  down  the  river ;  some  of  them  great  men,  and 
dining  with  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council  j  others  in  a 
small  way ; — all  sorts.  Jack  :  and  then  we  have  what  we 
call  Jew  Carts,  always  ready  to  take  goods  inland,  where 
they  will  not  be  looked  after.  Old  Nanny  was  a  receiver 
and  fence  in  a  large  way  once." 

**  Then  the  only  honest  people  on  the  river  are  the 
watermen." 

Here  old  Grumble  chuckled.  "  Why,  Jack,  they  be  the 
worst  of  all  j  for  they  be  both  receivers  and  thieves.  Do 
you  think  the  watermen  live  by  their  fares  ?  If  you  do, 
just  wait  on  the  steps  one  night,  and  you'll  find  that  their 
night  work  is  worth  more  than  the  day  work  is.  We  all 
must  live,  Jack ;  and  now  I've  shown  you  a  way  by  which 
you  can  earn  more  money  in  a  night,  than  you  can  in  a 
fortnight  by  asking  for  half-pence.  Here's  five  shillings 
for  you,  my  boy ;  and  when  I  want  you  again,  I'll  let  you 
know." 

Alas !  the  five  shillings,  so  easily  and  so  unexpectedly 
earned,  did,  for  the  time,  satisfy  all  my  scruples  :  so  easily 
are  we  bribed  into  what  is  wrong.  I  wished  Old  Grumble 
a  good-night,  and  left  him.  As  I  returned  home,  I  thought 
of  what  he  had  said  about  night  work ;  and,  instead  of 
making  my  way  to  Fisher's  Alley,  I  returned  to  the  land- 
ing-steps, resolving  to  watch  for  a  time,  and  see  what 
occurred. 

I  thought  of  what  had  passed.     I  was  not  satisfied  with 


132  Poor  Jack 

myself.  I  thought  of  what  Anderson  would  say ;  and  I 
felt  that  I  had  done  wrong.  And  then  I  attempted  to 
exculpate  myself :  I  could  not  prove  that  the  things  were 
stolen  ;  I  did  not  go  with  any  intent  to  help  in  such  a 
business.  Old  Grumble  had  only  paid  me  for  my  work : 
but  then,  why  did  he  pay  me  so  much  money  ?  My 
conscience  told  me  that  it  was  because  the  dealings  were 
unfair.  I  could  not  persuade  myself  that  I  was  right. 
I  looked  up  at  the  heavens, — for  it  was  a  clear  night,  and 
there  was  a  very  bright  star  just  above  me  ;  and  as  I 
looked  at  it,  it  appeared  as  if  it  were  an  eye  beaming  down 
upon  me,  and  piercing  into  my  breast.  I  turned  away 
from  it,  and  then  looked  at  it  again ; — still  it  had  the  same 
appearance :  I  thought  it  was  the  eye  of  God  ; — I  trembled, 
and  I  resolved  to  reveal  the  whole  to  Anderson  the  next 
day,  when  I  heard  the  sound  of  oars.  I  looked  in  the 
direction,  and  perceived  a  wherry  with  two  men  pulling 
in  :  I  was  down  on  the  steps,  under  the  shadow  of  the 
wall,  and  they  did  not  see  me.  They  landed,  and  handed 
out  of  the  wherry  three  large  and  full  canvas  bags. 
"  It's  more  than  we  can  carry,"  said  the  voice  of  a  water- 
man I  well  knew ;  "  we  must  leave  one  in  the  boat ;  and 
be  quick,  for  they  are  on  our  scent.  Hollo  !  who's  that  ? 
what  are  you  doing  here  ?     Poor  Jack,  I  declare." 

"Well,  mayn't  I  have  a  little  night  work,  as  well  as 
you?" 

*'  Oh  !  you've  come  to  that,  have  you  ? "  replied  he. 
"  Well,  as  you're  waiting  for  something  else,  I  suppose 
you  could  not  help  us  with  one  of  these  bags  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  can,"  replied  I,  forgetting  all  my  resolutions  ; 
**  put  it  on  my  back,  if  it's  not  too  heavy." 

"  No,  no ;  you're  stout  enough  to  carry  it.  I  say,  Jack, 
can  you  tell  us,  does  old  Nanny  fence  again,  or  has  she 
given  it  up  ?  " 

"  I  believe  she  does  not,"  replied  I. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "just  put  the  question  to  her  to- 
morrow morning,  for  she  used  to  be  a  good-un ;  now, 
follow  us." 


Poor  Jack  133 

I  walked  after  them  with  my  load  until  we  came  to  a 
by-street ;  at  the  shutters  of  a  shop  they  rapped  three 
times  on  the  iron  bar  outside  which  fixed  them  up  5  the 
door  was  opened,  and  we  put  the  bags  down  in  the 
passage,  walked  out  again  without  a  word,  and  the  door 
was  immediately  closed. 

*'  Well,  Jack,"  said  the  waterman,  "  I  suppose  we  must 
tip  handsome  for  the  first  time  ;  here's  ten  shillings  for 
you,  and  we'll  let  you  know  when  we  want  you  to  be  on 
the  look-out  for  us." 

Ten  shillings  !  and  five  before — fifteen  shillings  !  I  felt 
as  if  I  were  a  rich  man  j  all  scruples  of  conscience  were, 
for  the  time,  driven  away.  I  hurried  home  rattling  the 
silver  in  my  pocket,  and  opening  the  door  softly,  I  crept 
to  bed.     Did  I  say  my  prayers  that  night  ?     No  !  ! 


Chapter  XIX 

I  am  tempted  again,  my  pride  is  roused,  and  my  course  of  life  i«  changed 
in  consequence. 

I  PASSED  a  dreaming  restless  night,  and  woke  early.  I 
recalled  all  that  had  passed,  and  I  felt  very  much  dis- 
satisfied with  myself;  the  fifteen  shillings,  with  the 
added  prospect  of  receiving  more,  did  not  yield  me  the 
satisfaction  I  had  anticipated.  From  what  the  men  had 
said  about  old  Nanny,  I  thought  that  I  would  go  and 
see  her  j  and  why  ?  because  I  wished  support  against  my 
own  convictions :  if  I  had  not  been  actuated  by  such  a 
feeling,  I  should,  as  usual,  have  gone  to  old  Anderson. 
When  I  went  down  to  breakfast  I  felt  confused,  and  I 
hardly  dared  to  meet  the  clear  bright  eye  of  my  little 
sister,  and  I  wished  the  fifteen  shillings  out  of  my  pocket. 
That  I  might  appear  to  her  and  my  mother  as  if  I  were 
not  guilty,  I  swaggered  ;  my  sister  was  surprised,  and 
my  mother  justifiably  angry.  As  soon  as  breakfast  was 
over,  I  hastened  to  old  Nanny's. 


134  Poor  J^ck 

"Well,  Jack,"  said  she,  "what  brings  you  here  so 
early  ?  » 

"  "Why,  mother,  I  was  desired  to  ask  you  a  question 
last  night, — between  ourselves." 

"  Well,  why  don't  you  ask  it,  since  it's  between  our- 
selves ?  '*  replied  she  with  surprise. 

"  Some  of  the  people  want  to  know  if  yoxx  fence  now." 

"  Jack,"  said  old  Nanny,  harshly,  "  who  asked  you 
that  question  .''  and  how  did  you  fall  into  their  company  ? 
Tell  me  directly  ;  I  will  know." 

"  Why,  mother,  is  there  any  harm  in  it  ?  "  replied  I, 
confused  and  holding  down  my  head. 

"  Harm  in  it !  Ask  your  own  conscience.  Jack, 
whether  there's  harm  in  it.  Why  do  you  not  look  me 
in  the  face  like  an  honest  boy  ^  would  they  have  dared 
to  put  that  question  to  you,  if  you  had  not  been  a  party 
to  their  evil  deeds.  Jack  .'* "  continued  she,  shaking  her 
head :  "  I  thought  better  of  you  ;  now  you  have  filled 
me  full  of  sorrow." 

I  was  smitten  to  the  heart  at  this  rebuke  from  a 
quarter  whence  I  did  not  expect  it ;  but  my  heart  was 
still  rebellious,  and  I  would  not  acknowledge  what  I 
felt.     I  thought  to  turn  the  tables,  and  repHed — 

"  Why,  mother,  at  all  events,  they  say  that  once  you 
were  a  real  good  one." 

"  Is  it  indeed  gone  so  far .?"  replied  she.  "  Poor  boy  ! 
poor  boy !  Yes,  Jack,  to  my  shame  be  it  spoken,  I  once 
did  receive  things  and  buy  them,  when  they  were  not 
honestly  come  by  ;  and  now  Fm  rebuked  by  a  child  :  but. 
Jack,  I  was  almost  mad  then — I  had  that  which  would 
have  turned  any  one's  brain — I  was  reckless,  wretched ; 
but  I  don't  do  so  any  more.  Even  now  I  am  a  poor 
sinful  wretch — I  know  it ;  but  I'm  not  so  crazy  as  I 
was  then.  I  have  done  so.  Jack,  more's  the  shame  for 
me,  and  I  wish  I  could  recall  it ;  but,  Jack,  we  can't  recall 
the  past.     Oh  !  that  we  could  !  " 

Here  old  Nanny  pressed  her  hands  to  her  temples,  and 
for  some  time  was  silent :  at  last  she  continued — 


Poor  Jack  135 

**  Why  did  I  love  you,  Jack  ?  because  you  were  honest. 
Why  did  I  lend  you  money — I,  an  old  miserly  wretch, 
who  have  been  made  to  dote  on  money — I,  who  have 
never  spent  a  shiUing  for  my  own  comfort  for  these  ten 
years, — but  because  you  were  honest  ?  Why  have  I 
longed  the  whole  day  to  see  you,  and  have  cared  only 
for  you  ?  because  I  thought  you  honest,  Jack.  I  don't 
care  how  soon  I  die  now.  I  thought  the  world  too  bad 
to  live  in ;  you  made  me  think  better  of  it.  Oh  !  Jack, 
Jack,  how  has  this  come  to  pass  ?  How  long  have  you 
known  these  bad  people  ? " 

"  Why,  mother,"  replied  I,  much  affected,  "  only  last 
night." 

"  Only  last  night !  Tell  me  all  about  it ;  tell  the  truth, 
dear  boy,  do." 

I  could  hold  out  no  longer,  and  I  told  her  everything 
that  had  passed. 

"  Jack,"  said  she,  *'  I'm  not  fit  to  talk  to  you ;  I'm  a 
bad  old  woman,  and  you  may  say  I  don't  practise  what  I 
preach ;  but.  Jack,  if  you  love  me,  go  to  Peter  Anderson 
and  tell  him  everything  :  don't  be  afraid ;  only  be  afraid 
of  doing  what  is  wrong.     Now,  Jack,  you  must  go." 

**  I  will,  I  will,"  replied  I,  bursting  into  tears. 

"  Do,  do,  dear  Jack !  God  bless  your  heart — I  wish  I 
could  cry  that  way." 

I  walked  away  quite  humiliated ;  at  last  I  ran,  I  was  so 
eager  to  go  to  Anderson  and  confess  everything.  I  found 
him  in  his  cabin — I  attempted  to  speak,  but  I  could  not — I 
pulled  out  the  money,  put  it  on  the  table,  and  then  I  knelt 
down  and  sobbed  on  his  knee. 

**  What  is  all  this.  Jack  ? "  said  Anderson,  calmly  ;  but 
I  did  not  reply.  "  I  think  I  know.  Jack,"  said  he,  after  a 
pause.     *'  You  have  been  doing  wrong." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  replied  I,  sobbing. 

"  Well  my  dear  boy,  wait  till  you  can  speak,  and  then 
tell  me  all  about  it." 

As  soon  as  I  could,  I  did.  Anderson  heard  me  without 
interruption. 


136  Poor  Jack 

*'  Jack,"  said  he,  when  I  had  done  speaking,  *'  the 
temptation  "  (pointing  to  the  money)  **  has  been  very  great ; 
you  did  not  resist  at  the  moment ;  but  you  have,  fortun- 
ately, seen  your  error  in  good  time,  for  the  money  is  still 
here.  I  have  little  to  say  to  you,  for  your  own  feelings 
convince  me  that  it  is  needless.  Do  you  think  that  you 
can  read  a  little  ?  then  read  this."  Anderson  turned  to 
the  parable  of  the  prodigal  son,  which  I  read  to  him : 
"  And  now,"  said  he,  turning  over  the  leaves,  "  here  is 
one  verse  more."  I  read  it : — "  There  is  more  joy  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth,  than  over  ninety  and  nine  that 
need  no  repentance."  **  Be  careful,  therefore,  my  dear 
boy ;  let  this  be  a  warning  to  you ;  think  well  of  it,  for 
you  have  escaped  a  great  danger ;  the  money  shall  be 
returned.  Go  now,  my  child,  to  your  employment ;  and 
if  you  do  receive  only  half-pence,  you  will  have  the  satis- 
faction of  feeling  that  they  are  honestly  obtained." 

I  can  assure  the  reader  that  this  was  a  lesson  which  I 
never  forgot ;  it  was,  however,  succeeded  by  another 
variety  of  temptation,  which  might  have  proved  more 
dangerous  to  a  young  and  ardent  spirit,  had  it  not  ended, 
as  it  did,  in  changing  the  course  of  my  destiny  and 
throwing  me  into  a  new  path  of  action  :  to  this  I  shall  now 
refer. 

Hardly  a  month  passed  but  we  received  additional 
pensioners  into  the  Hospital.  Among  others,  a  man  was 
sent  to  the  Hospital  who  went  by  the  name  of  Sam  Spicer. 
I  say  went  by  the  name,  as  it  was  not  the  custom  for  the 
seamen  to  give  their  real  names  when  they  were  entered 
or  pressed  into  the  service ;  and  of  course  they  were 
discharged  into  the  Hospital  by  the  same  name  which  they 
bore  on  the  ship's  books.  Spicer  was  upwards  of  six  feet 
in  height,  very  large  boned,  and  must,  when  he  was  in  his 
prime,  have  been  a  man  of  prodigious  strength.  When  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Hospital  he  was  nearly  sixty  years  of 
age ;  his  hair  was  black  and  grey  mixed,  his  complexion 
very  dark,  and  his  countenance  fierce  and  unprepossessing. 
He  went  by  the  name  of  Black  Sam,  on  account  of  his 


Poor  Jack  137 

appearance.  He  had  lost  his  right  hand  in  a  frigate 
action ;  and  to  the  stump  he  had  fixed  a  sort  of  socket, 
into  which  he  screwed  his  knife  and  the  various  articles 
which  he  wished  to  make  use  of;  sometimes  a  file,  some- 
times a  saw — having  had  every  article  made  to  fit  into  the 
socket,  for  he  had  been  an  armourer  on  board  ship,  and 
was  very  handy  at  such  work.  He  was,  generally 
speaking,  very  morose  and  savage  to  everybody  j  seldom 
entered  into  conversation  ;  but  sat  apart,  as  if  thinking, 
with  a  frown  upon  his  countenance,  and  his  eyes,  sur- 
mounted with  bushy  eyebrows,  fixed  upon  the  ground. 
The  pensioners  who  belonged  to  the  same  ward  said  that 
he  talked  in  his  sleep,  and  from  what  they  could  collect  at 
those  times  he  must  have  been  a  pirate :  but  no  one  dared 
to  speak  to  him  on  the  subject,  for  more  than  once  he  had 
been  punished  for  striking  those  who  had  offended  him : 
indeed,  he  nearly  killed  one  old  man  who  was  jesting  with 
him  when  he  was  at  work,  having  made  a  stab  at  him  with 
his  knife  screwed  in  his  socket ;  but  his  foot  slipped,  and 
the  blow  missed.  Spicer  was  brought  up  before  the  Coun- 
cil for  this  offence,  and  would  have  been  discharged,  had 
he  not  declared  that  he  had  done  it  only  by  way  of  a  joke, 
to  frighten  the  man ;  and,  as  no  one  else  was  present,  it 
could  not  be  proved  to  the  contrary.  For  some  reason  or 
another,  which  I  could  not  comprehend,  Spicer  appeared 
to  have  taken  a  liking  to  me ;  he  would  call  me  to  him, 
and  tell  me  stories  about  the  West  Indies  and  the  Spanish 
Main,  which  I  listened  to  very  eagerly,  for  they  were  to 
me  very  interesting.  But  he  seldom,  if  ever,  spoke  to  me 
inside  of  the  Hospital ;  it  was  always  when  I  was  at  the 
steps  minding  my  vocation ;  where  he  would  come  down 
and  lean  over  the  rail  at  the  top  of  the  wharf.  He  made 
and  gave  me  a  boat-hook,  which  I  found  very  convenient. 
He  had  a  great  deal  of  information,  and,  as  the  ships  came 
up  the  river,  he  would  point  out  the  flags  of  the  different 
nations,  tell  me  where  they  traded  from,  and  what  their 
cargoes  probably  consisted  of.  If  they  had  no  ensign,  he 
would  tell  by  their  build,  and  the  cut  of  their  sails,  what 


138  Poor  Jack 

nation  they  belonged  to  5  pointing  out  to  me  the  differences, 
which  I  soon  began  to  perceive.  He  had  been  in  every 
part  of  the  world ;  and  scarcely  a  day  passed  in  which  I 
did  not  gain  from  him  some  amusing  or  useful  information. 
Indeed,  I  became  so  fond  of  his  company,  that  Peter 
Anderson  spoke  to  me  on  the  subject,  and  asked  me  what 
Spicer  talked  about.     I  told  him,  and  he  replied — 

"  Well,  Jack,  I  dare  say  that  he  is  a  very  pleasant  com- 
panion to  one  who,  like  you,  is  so  anxious  for  information, 
and  I  have  nothing  to  say  against  him,  for  we  have  no 
right  to  listen  to  foolish  reports  which  may  probably  have 
been  raised  from  his  savage  appearance.  Still,  I  confess,  I 
do  not  like  the  man,  as  he  is  decidedly  of  a  violent  temper. 
As  long  as  he  talks  to  you  about  what  you  say  he  does, 
there  is  no  harm  done  ;  but  when  once  he  says  anything 
which  you  think  is  wrong,  promise  me  to  let  me  know : 
and  even  now,  if  you  will  take  my  advice,  you  will  not  be 
so  intimate  with  him." 

A  little  while  afterwards,  my  father  and  Ben  the  Whaler 
both  spoke  to  me  on  the  same  subject,  but  with  much  less 
reservation. 

My  father  said — 

"Jack,  I  don't  like  to  see  you  always  in  company  with 
that  old  pirate ;  no  good  can  come  of  it ;  so  haul  off  a 
little  further  for  the  future."     And  Ben  told  me — 

"  That  a  man  who  couldn't  sleep  o'nights  without 
talking  of  killing  people  must  have  a  bad  conscience,  and 
something  lying  heavy  on  his  soul.  There's  an  old  saying, 
Jack, — *  Tell  me  whose  company  you  keeps,  and  I'll  tell 
you  what  sort  of  a  chap  you  be.'  You've  the  character  of 
a  good  honest  boy  j — steer  clear  of  Sam  Spicer,  or  you'll 
lose  it." 

Admonitions  from  all  those  whom  I  loved  were  not 
without  their  effect ;  and  I  made  a  resolution  to  be  less 
intimate  with  Spicer.  But  it  was  difficult  to  do  so,  as  I 
was  obliged  to  be  at  the  landing-steps,  and  could  not 
prevent  his  coming  there. 

I  acknowledge  that  it  was  a  severe  privation  to  me  to 


Poor  Jack  139 

follow  the  Injunctions  given  to  me  ;  for  I  would  listen  for 
hours  to  the  thrilling  narratives,  the  strange  and  almost 
ncredible  accounts  of  battles,  incidents,  and  wild  adven- 
tures, which  this  man  Spicer  would  relate  to  me  •,  and 
when  I  thought  over  them,  I  felt  that  the  desire  to  rove 
was  becoming  more  strong  within  me  every  day.  One 
morning  I  said  to  him  that  **  I  had  a  great  mind  to  go  on 
board  of  a  man-of-war." 

"  On  board  of  a  man-of-war  ?  "  replied  Spicer ;  "  you'd 
soon  be  sick  enough  of  that.  Why,  who  would  be  at  the 
beck  and  nod  of  others,  ordered  here,  called  there,  by  boy 
midshipmen  ;  bullied  by  lieutenants  ;  flogged  by  captains  j 
have  all  the  work  and  little  of  the  pay,  all  the  fighting  and 
less  of  the  prize-money ;  and,  after  having  worn  out  your 
life  in  hard  service,  be  sent  here  as  a  great  favour,  to  wear 
a  cocked  hat,  and  get  a  shilling  a  week  for  your  'baccy  ? 
Pshaw  !  boy — that's  not  life." 

"  Then,  what  is  life  ? "  inquired  I. 

"  What  is  life  ?  Why,  to  sail  in  a  clipper,  with  a  jolly 
crew  and  a  roving  commission  ;  take  your  prizes,  share 
and  share  alike,  of  gold  dust  and  doubloons." 

"  But  what  sort  of  vessel  must  that  be,  Spicer  .' " 

"What  sort?  why — a  letter  of  marque — a  privateer — 
a  cruise  on  the  Spanish  Main — that's  life.  Many's  the  jolly 
day  I've  seen  in  those  latitudes,  where  men-of-war  do  not 
bring  vessels  to  and  press  the  best  men  out  of  them. 
There  the  sun's  warm,  and  the  sky  and  the  sea  are  deep 
blue — and  the  corals  grow  like  forests  underneath,  and 
there  are  sandy  coves  and  cool  caves  for  retreat — and 
where  you  may  hide  your  gold  till  you  want  it — ay,  and 
your  sweethearts  too,  if  you  have  any." 

*'  I  thought  privateers  always  sent  their  prizes  into  port, 
to  be  condemned  ? " 

"  Yes,  in  the  Channel  and  these  seas  they  do ;  but  not 
down  there  •,  it's  too  far  off.  We  condemn  the  vessels 
ourselves,  and  share  the  money  on  the  capstan  head." 

«*  But  is  that  lawful  ? " 

"  Lawful !   to  be  sure  it  is.     Could  we  spare  men  to 


140  Poor  Jack 

send  prizes  home  to  England,  and  put  them  into  the  hands 
of  a  rascally  agent,  who  would  rob  us  of  three-fourths  at 
least  ?  No,  no — that  would  never  do.  If  I  could  have 
escaped  from  the  man-of-war  which  picked  up  me  and 
four  others,  who  were  adrift  in  an  open  boat,  I  would 
now  have  been  on  the  Coast.  But  when  I  lost  my  fin, 
I  knew  that  all  was  over  with  me ;  so  I  came  to  the 
Hospital :  but  I  often  think  of  old  times,  and  the  life  of 
a  rover.  Now,  if  you  have  any  thoughts  of  going  to 
sea,  look  out  for  some  vessel  bound  to  the  Gold  Coast, 
and  then  you'll  soon  get  in  the  right  way." 

"  The  Gold  Coast  ? — Is  not  that  to  where  the  slavers 


go 


Yes,  slavers,  and  other  vessels  besides :  some  traffic 
for  ivory  and  gold  dust ;  however,  that's  as  may  happen. 
You'd  soon  find  yourself  in  good  company  ;  and  wouldn't 
that  be  better  than  begging  here  for  half-pence  ?  I  would 
be  above  that,  at  all  events." 

This  remark,  the  first  of  the  kind  ever  made  to  me, 
stung  me  to  the  quick.  Strange,  I  had  never  before  con- 
sidered myself  in  the  light  of  a  beggar ;  and  yet,  was 
I  not  so,  just  as  much  as  a  sweeper  of  a  crossing  .'' 

"  A  beggar  ?  "  replied  I. 

"  Yes,  a  beggar  ;  don't  you  beg  for  half-pence,  and  say, 
*  Thank  your  honour;  a  copper  for  poor  Jack,  your 
honour  ? ' "  rejoined  Spicer,  mimicking  me.  "  When  I  see 
that  pretty  sister  of  yours,  that  looks  so  like  a  real  lady, 
I  often  thinks  to  myself,  '  Fine  and  smart  as  you  are,  miss, 
your  brother's  only  a  beggar.'  Now,  would  you  not  like 
to  return  from  a  cruise  with  a  bag  of  doubloons  to  throw 
into  her  lap,  proving  that  you  were  a  gentleman,  and  above 
coppers  thrown  to  you  out  of  charity  ?     Well,  old  as  I  am, 

and  maimed,  I'd  sooner  starve  where  I  now  stand but 

I  must  be  off;  so  good-bye.  Jack — look  sharp  after  the 
half-pence." 

As  Spicer  walked  away,  my  young  blood  boiled.  A 
beggar ! — it  was  but  too  true — and  yet  I  had  never 
thought  it  a  disgrace  before.     I  sat  down  on  the  steps, 


Poor  Jack  141 

and  was  soon  in  deep  thought.  Boat  after  boat  came  to 
the  stairs,  and  yet  I  stirred  not.  Not  one  halfpenny 
did  I  take  during  the  remainder  of  that  day  ;  for  I  could 
not — would  not  ask  for  one.  My  pride,  hitherto  latent, 
was  roused ;  and  before  I  rose  from  where  I  had  been 
seated,  I  made  a  resolution  that  I  would  earn  my  liveli- 
hood in  some  other  way.  What  hurt  me  most  was  his 
observations  about  Virginia  and  her  beggar  brother.  I 
>vas  so  proud  of  Virginia,  I  felt  that  her  brother  ought 
not  to  be  a  beggar.  Such  was  the  effect  produced  in  so 
short  a  time  by  the  insidious  discourse  of  this  man.  Had 
he  still  remained  at  the  steps,  I  do  believe  that  I  should 
have  asked,  probably  have  followed,  his  advice.  Fortun- 
ately he  had  left ;  and,  after  a  little  reflection,  I  had  the 
wisdom  to  go  and  seek  Peter  Anderson,  and  consult  him 
as  to  what  I  could  do  ;  for  to  change  my  mode  of  obtaining 
my  livelihood  I  was  determined  upon. 

I  found  Anderson,  as  usual,  seated  under  the  colonnade, 
reading ;  and  I  went  up  ta  him. 

"Well,  Jack,  my  boy,  you  are  home  early,"  said  he. 

•'  Yes,"  replied  I,  gravely  ;  and  then  I  was  silent. 

After  a  pause  of  about  a  minute,  Peter  Anderson  said — 

"Jack,  I  see  there's  something  the  matter.  Now,  tell 
me  what  it  is.     Can  I  help  you  ? " 

"  I  did  wish  to  speak  to  you,"  replied  I.  "  I've  been 
thinking — about  going  to  sea." 

"  And  how  long  have  you  thought  of  that.  Jack  ? " 

"  I've  thought  more  of  it  lately,"  replied  I. 

"  Yes,  since  Spicer  has  been  talking  to  you.  Now,  is 
that  not  the  case  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is." 

"  I  knew  that,  Jack.  Fm  at  your  service  for  as  long  as 
you  please ;  now  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  he  has  said  to  you 
that  you  can  remember.     I  sha'n't  interrupt  you." 

I  did  so ;  and  before  I  had  half  finished,  Anderson 
replied — "  That  is  quite  enough,  Jack.  One  thing  is 
evident  to  me — that  Spicer  has  led  a  bad  and  lawless  life, 
and  would  even  now  continue  it,  old  as  he  is,  only  that  he 


142  Poor  Jack 

is  prevented  by  being  crippled.  Jack,  he  has  talked  to  you 
about  privateers  !  God  forgive  me  if  I  wrong  him  ;  but  I 
think,  had  he  said  pirates,  he  would  have  told  the  trutli. 
But  say  nothing  about  that  observation  of  mine  ;  I  wish 
from  my  heart  that  you  had  never  known  him.  But  here 
comes  your  father.  He  has  a  right  to  know  what  we  are 
talking  about  j  for  you  owe  duty  to  him  as  his  son,  and 
nothing  can  be  done  without  his  permission." 

When  my  father  came  up  to  us,  Anderson  begged  him 
to  sit  down,  and  he  told  him  what  we  had  been  discoursing 
about.  I  had  already  stated  my  objections  to  enter  on 
board  of  a  man-of-war. 

"  Well !  "  said  my  father,  "  I  may  come  athwart  hawse 
of  that  old  piccaroon  yet,  if  he  don't  look  out.  Not  that  I 
mind  your  going  to  sea,  Jack,  as  your  father  did  before 
you ;  but  what  he  says  about  the  sarvice  is  a  confounded 
lie.  Let  a  man  do  his  duty,  and  the  sarvice  is  a  good  one ; 
and  a  man  who  is  provided  for  as  he  is,  ought  to  be 
ashamed  of  himself  to  speak  as  he  has  done — the  old 
rascal.  Still,  I  do  not  care  for  your  entering  the  sarvice 
so  young.  It  would  be  better  that  you  were  first 
apprentice  and  larnt  your  duty ;  and  as  soon  as  your 
time  is  out,  you  will  be  pressed  of  course,  and  then  you 
would  sarve  the  King.     I  see  no  objection  to  all  that." 

"  But  why  do  you  want  so  particularly  to  go  to  sea. 
Jack  ? "  observed  Anderson. 

"  I  don't  like  being  a  beggar — begging  for  half-pence  !  " 
replied  I. 

"  And  Spicer  told  you  that  you  were  a  beggar  ? "  said 
Peter. 

"  He  did.'* 

"  Jack,  if  that  is  the  case,  we  all  are  beggars ;  for  we 
all  work,  and  receive  what  money  we  can  get  for  our  work. 
There  is  no  shame  in  that." 

"  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  it,"  replied  I,  as  the  tears  came 
into  my  eyes. 

"Well,  well !  I  see  how  it  is,"  replied  Anderson  j  "  it's 
a  pity  you  ever  fell  in  with  that  man." 


Poor  Jack  143 

**  That's  true  as  gospel,"  observed  my  father  j  "  but 
still,  if  he  had  said  nothing  worse  than  that,  I  should  not 
have  minded.  I  do  think  that  Jack  is  now  old  enough  to 
do  something  better;  and  I  must  say,  I  do  not  dislike 
his  wishing  so  to  do — for  it  is  begging  for  half-pence, 
arter  all." 

"  Well,  boy,"  said  Peter  Anderson,  **  suppose  you  leave 
your  father  and  me  to  talk  over  the  matter  ;  and  to-morrow 
by  this  time,  we  will  tell  you  what  we  think  will  be 
best." 

"Anything — anything,"  replied  I,  "but  being  a 
beggar." 

"  Go  along,  you  are  a  foolish  boy,"  said  Anderson. 

"  I  like  his  spirit,  though,"  said  my  father,  as  I  walked 
away. 

On  the  next  day,  the  important  question  was  to  be 
decided.  I  did  not  go  to  the  stairs,  to  follow  up  my 
vocation.  I  had  talked  the  matter  over  with  Virginia ; 
who,  although  she  did  not  like  that  I  should  go  away, 
had  agreed  with  me  that  she  objected  to  my  begging  for 
money.  I  waited  very  impatiently  for  the  time  that 
Anderson  had  appointed ;  and,  at  last,  he  and  my  father 
came  together,  when  the  former  said — 

"  Well,  Jack  j  it  appears  that  you  do  not  like  to  be  a 
waterman  j  and  that  you  have  no  great  fancy  for  a  man-of- 
war,  although  you  have  a  hankering  for  the  sea.  Now,  as 
you  cannot  cruise  with  your  friend  Spicer  on  the  Spanish 
Main,  nor  yet  be  safe  from  impressment  in  a  privateer  or 
merchantman,  we  have  been  thinking  that,  perhaps,  you 
would  have  no  objection  to  be  a  channel  and  river  pilot ; 
and  if  so,  I  have  an  old  friend  in  that  service,  who,  I  think, 
may  help  you.     What  do  you  say  ? " 

"  I  should  like  it  very  much." 

**  Yes,  it  is  a  good  service,  and  a  man  is  usefully 
employed.  You  may  be  the  means,  as  soon  as  you  are 
out  of  your  time,  and  have  passed  your  examination,  of 
saving  many  a  vessel  and  more  lives.  You  have  had  a 
pretty  fair  education,  indeed  quite  sufficient  j  and,  as  you 


144  Poor  Jack 

will  often  be  coming  up  the  river,  you  will  have  oppor- 
tunities of  seeing  your  father  and  your  friends.  If  you 
decide,  I  will  write  at  once." 

"It  is  the  very  thing  that  I  should  like,"  replied  I; 
"  and  many  thanks  to  you,  Anderson." 

"  And  it's  exactly  what  I  should  wish,  also,"  replied  my 
father.     "  So  that  job's  jobbed,  as  the  saying  is." 

After  this  arrangement,  I  walked  away  as  proud  as 
if  I  had  been  an  emancipated  slave  :  that  very  evening  I 
announced  my  intention  of  resigning  my  office  of  "  Poor 
Jack ; "  and  named  as  my  successor  the  boy  with  whom 
I  had  fought  so  desperately  to  obtain  it,  when  the 
prospect  was  held  out  to  me,  by  old  Ben,  of  my  becoming 
Poor  Jack — for  ever ! 


Chapter    XX 

Much  ado  about  nothing  ;  or  a  specimen  of  modern  patronage. 

I  COMMUNICATED  to  my  mother  and  Virginia  my  father's 
intentions  relative  to  my  future  employ,  and  was  not 
surprised  to  find  my  mother  very  much  pleased  with  the 
intelligence ;  for  she  had  always  considered  my  situation 
of  "Poor  Jack"  as  disgracing  her  family — declaring  it 
the  "  most  ungenteelest "  of  all  occupations.  Perhaps 
she  was  not  only  glad  of  my  giving  up  the  situation,  but 
also  of  my  quitting  her  house.  My  father  desired  me 
to  wear  my  Sunday  clothes  during  the  week,  and  ordered 
me  a  new  suit  for  my  best,  which  he  paid  for  out  of  the 
money  which  he  had  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Lieutenant 
of  the  Hospital ;  and  I  was  very  much  surprised  to 
perceive  my  mother  cutting  out  half  a  dozen  new  shirts 
for  me,  which  she  and  Virginia  were  employed  making 
up  during  the  evenings.  Not  that  my  mother  told  me 
who  the  shirts  were  for — she  said  nothing  5  but  Virginia 
whispered  it  to  me;  my  mother  could  not  be  even 
gracious  to  me  j  nevertheless,  the  shirts  and  several  other 


Poor  Jack  145 

necessaries,  such  as  stockings  and  pocket-handkerchiefs, 
were  placed  for  my  use  on  my  father's  sea-chest,  in  my 
room,  without  any  comment  on  her  part,  although  she 
had  paid  for  them  out  of  her  own  purse.  During  the 
time  that  elapsed  from  my  giving  up  the  situation  of 
"  Poor  Jack,"  to  my  quitting  Greenwich,  I  remained  very 
quietly  in  my  mother's  house,  doing  everything  that  I 
could  for  her,  and  employing  myself  chiefly  in  reading 
books  which  I  borrowed  anywhere  that  I  could.  I  was 
very  anxious  to  get  rid  of  my  soubriquet  of  "  Poor  Jack," 
and  when  so  called  would  tell  everybody  that  my  name 
was  now  **  Thomas  Saunders." 

One  Sunday,  about  three  weeks  after  I  had  given  up 
my  berth,  I  was  walking  with  my  father  and  Virginia  on 
the  terrace  of  the  Hospital,  when  we  perceived  a  large 
party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  coming  towards  us.  My 
father  was  very  proud  of  us :  I  had  this  very  day  put  on 
the  new  suit  of  clothes  which  he  had  ordered  for  me, 
and  which  had  been  cut  out  in  the  true  man-of-war 
fashion ;  and  Virginia  was,  as  usual,  very  nicely  dressed. 
We  were  walking  towards  the  party  who  were  advancing, 
when  all  of  a  sudden  my  father  started,  and  exclaimed — 

"  Well,  shiver  my  timbers  !  if  it  ain't  she — and  he — by 
all  that's  blue  !  " 

Who  she  or  he  might  be,  neither  Virginia  nor  I  could 
imagine ;  but  I  looked  at  the  party,  who  were  now  close 
to  us,  and  perceived,  in  advance  of  the  rest,  an  enormous 
lady,  dressed  in  a  puce-coloured  pelisse  and  a  white  satin 
bonnet.  Her  features  were  good,  and  had  they  been  on 
a  smaller  scale  would  have  been  considered  handsome. 
She  towered  above  the  rest  of  the  company,  and  there 
was  but  one  man  who  could  at  all  compete  with  her  in 
height  and  size,  and  he  was  by  her  side. 

My  father  stopped,  took  off  his  cocked  hat,  and 
scraped  the  gravel  with  his  timber  toe,  as  he  bowed  a 
little  forward. 

"Sarvant,  your  Honour's  Ladyship.  Sarvant,  your 
Honour  Sir  Hercules." 

P.J.  *  K 


146  Poor  Jack 

*'  Ah  !  who  have  we  here  ? "  replied  Sir  Hercules, 
putting  his  hand  up  as  a  screen  above  his  eyes.  "Who 
are  you,  my  man  ? "  continued  he. 

**  Tom  Saunders ;  your  Honour's  coxswain,  as  was,  in 
the  Druid,"  replied  my  father,  with  another  scrape  at  the 
gravel ;  "  taken  in  moorings  at  last,  your  Honour.  Hope 
to  see  your  Honour  and  your  honourable  Ladyship  quite 
well." 

"I  recollect  you  now,  my  man,"  replied  Sir  Hercules, 
very  stiffly ; — "  and  where  did  you  lose  your  leg  .■* " 

"  Battle  o'  the  Nile,  your  Honour  j  Majest)r's  ship 
OudaciousP 

**  How  interesting  !  "  observed  one  of  the  ladies  ■,  *'  one 
of  Sir  Hercules'  old  men." 

"  Yes,  madam,  and  one  of  my  best  men.  Lady  Hercules, 
you  must  recollect  him,"  said  Sir  Hercules. 

**  I  should  think  so.  Sir  Hercules,"  replied  the  lady  j 
"  did  I  not  give  him  my  own  lady's  maid  in  marriage  ?  " 

"  Dear  me,  how  excessively  interesting ! "  said  another 
6i  the  party. 

Now  this  was  a  little  event  in  which  Sir  Hercules  and 
Lady  Hercules  stood  prominent ;  it  added  to  their  import- 
ance for  the  moment,  and  therefore  they  were  both  pleased. 
Lady  Hercules  then  said — 

"  And  pray,  my  good  man,  how  is  your  wife  .?" 

"  Quite  well  and  hearty,  at  your  Ladyship's  sarvice," 
replied  my  father  5  '*  and,  please  your  Ladyship,  these  two 
be  our  children." 

'*  Bless  me,  how  interesting  ! "  exclaimed  another  lady. 

**  And  remarkably  well-bred  uns,"  remarked  a  short 
gentleman  in  a  fox-hunting  coat,  examining  Virginia 
through  his  eye-glass ;  "  coxswain,  filly — dam,  lady's- 
maid." 

"  What  is  your  name,  child  ? "  said  Lady  Hercules 
to  Virginia. 

"Virginia,  ma'am,"  replied  my  sister  with  a  courtesy. 

"  You  must  say  *  Lady  Hercules,'  my  dear,"  said  my 
father,  stooping  down. 


Poor  Jack  147 

"  My  name  is  Virginia,  Lady  Hercules,"  replied  my 
sister,  courtesying  again. 

**  Indeed  !  then  I  suppose  you  are  named  after  me  ? " 

**  Yes,  your  Ladyship ;  hope  no  offence — but  we  did 
take  the  liberty,"  replied  my  father. 

"  And  what  is  yours,  boy  ? " 

*'  Thomas,  Lady  Hercules,"  replied  I,  with  a  bow  and 
scrape,  after  my  father's  receipt  for  politeness. 

"  And  where  is  your  mother  ? "  said  Sir  Hercules. 

**  Mother's  at  home.  Lady  Hercules,"  replied  I,  with 
another  scrape. 

"How  very  interesting!"  exclaimed  one  of  the  party. 
**  Quite  an  event !  "  said  another.  **  A  delightful  ren- 
contre ! "  cried  a  third.  "  How  kind  of  you,  Lady 
Hercules,  to  give  up  your  own  maid !  and  such  hand- 
some children,"  &c.  &c.     "  It's  really  quite  charming." 

Lady  Hercules  was  evidently  much  pleased ;  and  she 
assumed  the  patroness. 

"  Well,  little  girl,  since  you  have  been  named  after  me, 
out  of  gratitude,  I  must  see  what  can  be  done  for  you. 
Tell  your  mother  to  come  up  to  me  to-morrow  at  three 
o'clock,  and  bring  you  with  her." 

"  Yes,  Lady  Hercules,"  replied  Virginia,  with  a 
courtesy. 

**  And  Saunders,  you  may  as  well  come  up  at  the  same 
time,  and  bring  your  lad  with  you,"  added  Sir  Hercules. 

"  Yes,  your  Honour,"  replied  my  father,  both  he  and 
I  simultaneously  scraping  the  gravel. 

"  Wish  your  Honour  Sir  Hercules,  and  your  honourable 
lady,  and  all  the  honourable  company,  a  very  good 
morning  ! "  continued  my  father,  taking  Virginia  and  me 
by  the  hand  to  lead  us  away. 

Sir  Hercules  touched  his  hat  in  return,  and  walked 
away  as  stiff  as  usual :  the  pensioners  who  had  witnessed 
the  interview  between  him  and  my  father,  concluding  that 
Sir  Hercules  was  a  naval  officer,  now  rose  and  touched 
their  hats  to  him  as  he  walked  with  her  Ladyship  in 
advance   of  the   party.     We  joined  Anderson,  who  was 


148  Poor  Jack 

sitting  down  at  the  other  end  of  the  walk,  when  my  father 
communicated  to  him  what  had  passed. 

As  my  father  conducted  Virginia  home,  she  said  to  him — 

"  Why  do  you  call  him  Sir,  and  her  Lady  f  " 

"  Because  they  are  quality  people,  child.  He  is  a 
barrownight,  and  she  is  Lady  Hercules." 

"  Are  all  barrownights  and  ladies  so  much  bigger  than 
other  people  are  in  general  ? " 

"  No,  child,  they  don't  go  by  size.  I've  seen  many  a 
Lord  who  was  a  very  little  man." 

My  mother  was  very  much  pleased  when  we  narrated 
what  had  happened,  as  she  considered  that  Lady  Hercules 
might  prove  a  valuable  patron  to  Virginia,  whom  she  did 
not  fail  to  have  ready  at  the  time  appointed ;  and,  dressed 
in  our  very  best,  we  all  walked  together  to  The  Sun,  at 
which  Sir  Hercules  and  his  lady  had  taken  up  their 
quarters.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  my  mother  had 
forgotten  the  unceremonious  manner  in  which  she  had 
been  dismissed  from  the  service  of  Lady  Hercules, — it  was 
still  fresh  in  the  memory  of  a  person  so  revengeful  in  her 
disposition ;  but  she  considered  that  as  Lady  Hercules  had 
forgotten  it,  it  was  her  interest  to  do  the  same ;  so,  when 
we  were  ushered  into  the  room  where  sat  Sir  Hercules 
and  her  Ladyship,  my  mother  was  all  smiles,  and  courtesies, 
and  gratitude  for  past  favours. 

There  was  an  old  gentleman,  with  a  bald  powdered  head, 
dressed  in  black,  standing  with  his  back  to  the  fire,  when 
we  entered ;  he  was  the  only  other  person  in  the  room 
beside  Sir  Hercules  and  his  lady.  Lady  Hercules  first 
obtained  from  my  mother  a  short  history  of  what  had 
happened  since  they  had  parted ;  and  really,  to  hear  my 
mother's  explanation,  it  would  have  been  supposed  that 
she  and  my  father  had  always  been  the  most  loving  couple 
in  the  world. 

"Well,"  said  Sir  Hercules,  "and  what  do  you  intend  to 
do  with  your  boy,  Saunders  ? " 

"  May  it  please  your  Honour,  I've  been  thinking  of 
bringing  him  up  as  a  channel  pilot,"  replied  my  father. 


Poor  Jack  149 

«  Very  good,"  replied  Sir  Hercules;  '<  I  can  see  to  that; 
and  with  my  interest  at  the  Trinity  Board,  the  thing  is  done, 
sir ; "  and  Sir  Hercules  walked  pompously  about  the  room. 
"  Saunders,"  said  Sir  Hercules,  stopping,  after  he  had 
taken  three  or  four  turns  up  and  down,  and  joining  his 
fingers  behind  his  back,  "I  thought  I  perceived  some 
difference  in  you,  when  you  first  addressed  me.  What 
has  become  of  your  tail,  sir  ? " 

"  My  tail,  your  Honour .'' "  replied  my  father,  looking  as 
much  a  delinquent  as  if  he  was  still  on  board  a  man-of- 
war,  and  had  been  guilty  of  some  misdemeanour, — *'  why, 
please  your  Honour  Sir  Hercules " 

"I  cut  it  off  for  him  with  my  scissors,"  interrupted  my 
mother,  with  a  courtesy.  "  Saunders  was  very  savage 
when  he  came  for  to  know  it ;  but  he  had  a  stupefaction 
of  the  brain,  and  was  quite  insensible  at  the  time ;  and  so. 
Sir  Hercules  and  my  Lady  "  (here  a  courtesy),  "  I  thought 
it  was  better " 

"  Ah !  I  see, — a  brain  fever,"  observed  Sir  Hercules. 
"  Well,  under  these  circumstances,  you  may  have  saved 
his  life ;  but  'twas  a  pity — was  it  not,  my  Lady  ? — quite 
altered  the  man, — you  recollect  his  tail,  my  Lady  .'' " 

'*  What  a  question.  Sir  Hercules  !  "  replied  her  Ladyship 
with  great  dignity,  turning  round  towards  my  mother. 

My  father  appeared  to  be  quite  relieved  from  his 
dilemma  by  his  wife's  presence  of  mind,  and  really  thank- 
ful to  her  for  coming  to  his  assistance ;  she  had  saved  him 
from  the  mortification  of  telling  the  truth.  How  true  it  is, 
that  married  people,  however  much  they  may  quarrel,  like 
to  conceal  their  squabbles  from  the  world. 

**  And  what  are  you  thinking  of  doing  with  your  little 
girl  ? "  said  Lady  Hercules — *'  bringing  her  up  to  service, 
I  presume :  leave  that  to  me ;  as  soon  as  she  is  old  enough, 
the  thing  is  done,  you  need  say  no  more  about  it."  Here 
her  Ladyship  fell  back  in  the  large  easy  chair  on  which 
she  was  seated,  with  a  self-satisfied  air  of  patronage,  and 
looking  even  more  dignified  than  her  husband. 

But  my  mother  had  no  such  intentions,  and  having  first 


150  Poor  Jack 

thanked  her  Ladyship  for  her  great  kindness,  stated  very 
humbly,  that  she  did  not  much  like  the  idea  of  her  daughter 
going  out  to  service ;  that  she  was  far  from  strong,  and 
that  her  health  would  not  allow  her  to  undertake  hard 
work. 

**  Well,  but  I  presume  she  may  do  the  work  of  a  lady's 
maid  ? "  replied  her  Ladyship  haughtily  j  "  and  it  was  that 
service  which  I  intended  for  her." 

•'  Indeed,  Lady  Hercules,  you  are  very  kind  j  but  there 
is  an  objection,"  replied  my  mother,  to  gain  time. 

"Please  your  Ladyship,"  said  my  father,  who,  to  my 
great  surprise,  came  to  my  mother's  support,  *'I  do  not 
wish  that  my  little  girl  should  be  a  lady's  maid." 

"And  why  not,  pray?"  said  her  Ladyship,  rather 
angrily. 

**  Why,  you  see,  your  Ladyship,  my  daughter  is,  after 
all,  only  the  daughter  of  a  poor  Greenwich  pensioner ; 
and,  although  she  has  been  so  far  pretty  well  educated, 
yet  I  wishes  her  not  to  forget  her  low  situation  in  life, 
and  ladies'  maids  do  get  so  confounded  proud  ('specially 
those  who  have  the  fortune  to  be  ladies'  ladies'  maids), 
that  I  don't  wish  that  she  should  take  a  situation  which 
would  make  her  forget  herself,  and  her  poor  old  pensioner 
of  a  father ;  and,  begging  your  honour's  pardon,  that  is 
the  real  state  of  the  case,  my  Lady." 

What  my  mother  felt  at  this  slap  at  her,  I  do  not  know, 
but  certain  it  is  that  she  was  satisfied  with  my  father 
taking  the  responsibility  of  refusal  on  his  own  shoulders, 
and  she  therefore  continued — "  I  have  often  told  Mr 
Saunders  how  happy  I  was  when  under  your  Ladyship's 
protection,  and  what  a  fortunate  person  I  considered 
myself ;  but  my  husband  has  always  had  such  an  objection 
to  my  girl  being  brought  up  to  it,  that  I  have  (of  course, 
my  Lady,  as  it  is  my  duty  to  him  to  do  so)  given  up  my 
own  wishes  from  the  first ;  indeed,  my  Lady,  had  I  not 
known  that  my  little  girl  was  not  to  go  to  service,  I 
never  should  have  ventured  to  have  called  her  Virginia^ 
my  Lady." 


Poor  Jack  151 

"What,  then,  do  you  intend  her  for?"  said  Sir  Hercules 
to  my  father.  "  You  don't  mean  to  bring  her  up  as  a 
lady,  do  you  ? " 

"  No,  your  honour,  she's  but  a  pensioner's  daughter, 
and  I  wishes  her  to  be  humble,  as  she  ought  to  be  ;  so 
I've  been  thinking  that  something  in  the  millinery  line,  or 
perhaps " 

"As  a  governess,  my  Lady,"  interrupted  my  mother, 
with  a  curtsey. 

**  That  will  make  her  humble  enough,  at  all  events," 
observed  the  bald  gentleman  in  black,  with  a  smile. 

**  I  admit,"  replied  Lady  Hercules,  "  that  your  having 
given  my  name  to  your  little  girl  is  a  strong  reason  for 
her  not  going  into  service ;  but  there  are  many  expenses 
attending  the  education  necessary  for  a  young  person  as 
governess." 

Here  my  mother  entered  into  an  explanation  of  how 
Virginia  had  been  educated  j  an  education  which  she 
should  not  have  dreamt  of  giving,  only  that  her  child  bore 
her  Ladyship's  name,  &c.  My  mother  employed  her  usual 
flattery  and  humility,  so  as  to  reconcile  her  Ladyship  to 
the  idea ;  who  was  the  more  inclined  when  she  discovered 
that  she  was  not  likely  to  be  put  to  any  expense  in  her 
patronage  of  my  sister.  It  was  finally  agreed  that  Virginia 
should  be  educated  for  the  office  of  governess,  and  that 
when  she  was  old  enough  Lady  Hercules  would  take  her 
under  her  august  protection  j  but  her  Ladyship  did  do 
her  some  service.  Finding  that  Virginia  was  at  a  respect- 
able school,  she  called  there  with  a  party  of  ladies,  and 
informed  the  schoolmistress  that  the  little  girl  was  under 
her  protection,  and  that  she  trusted  that  justice  would  be 
done  to  her  education.  In  a  school  where  the  Miss 
Tippets  were  considered  the  aristocracy,  the  appearance 
of  so  great  a  woman  as  Lady  Hercules  was  an  event,  and 
I  do  not  know  whether  my  little  sister  did  not  after  that 
take  precedence  in  the  school  j  at  all  events,  she  was 
much  more  carefully  instructed  and  looked  after  than  she 
had  been  before.     Sir  Hercules  was  also  pleased  to  find. 


152  Poor  Jack 

upon  inquiry,  that  there  was  every  prospect  of  my 
entering  the  pilot  service,  without  any  trouble  on  his 
part.  Both  Sir  Hercules  and  his  lady  informed  their 
friends  of  what  their  intentions  were  to  their  young 
proteges,  and  were  inundated  with  praises  and  commenda- 
tions for  their  kindness,  the  full  extent  of  which  the 
reader  will  appreciate.  But,  as  my  mother  pointed  out 
as  we  walked  home,  if  we  did  not  require  their  assistance 
at  present,  there  was  no  saying  but  that  we  eventually 
might ;  and  if  so,  that  Sir  Hercules  and  Lady  Hawking- 
trefylyan  could  not  well  refuse  to  perform  their  promises. 
I  must  say  that  this  was  the  first  instance  in  my  recollection 
in  which  my  parents  appeared  to  draw  amicably  together  ; 
and  I  believe  that  nothing  except  regard  for  their  children 
could  have  produced  the  effect. 


Chapter  XXI 

A  most  important  present  is  made  to  me ;  and,  as  it  will  eventually  appear, 
the  generosity  of  the  giver  is  rewarded. 

Sir  Hercules  and  Lady  Hawkingtrefylyan  quitted  Green- 
wich the  day  after  the  interview  narrated  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  and  by  that  day's  post  Anderson  received  a  letter 
in  reply  to  the  one  he  had  written,  from  his  friend  Philip 
Bramble,  channel  and  river  pilot,  who  had,  as  he  said  in  his 
letter,  put  on  shore  at  Deal,  where  he  resided,  but  the  day 
before,  after  knocking  about  in  the  Channel  for  three 
weeks.  Bramble  stated  his  willingness  to  receive  and  take 
charge  of  me,  desiring  that  I  would  hold  myself  in  readi- 
ness to  be  picked  up  at  a  minute's  warning,  and  he  would 
call  for  me  the  first  time  that  he  took  a  vessel  up  the  river. 
A  letter  communicating  this  intelligence  was  forthwith 
despatched  by  my  mother  to  Sir  Hercules,  who  sent  a 
short  reply,  stating  that  if  I  conducted  myself  properly  he 
would  not  lose  sight  of  me.  This  letter,  however,  very 
much  increased  the  family  consequence  in  Fisher's  Alley, 


Poor  Jack  153 

for  my  mother  did  not  fail  to  show  it  to  everybody,  and 
everybody  was  anxious  to  see  the  handwriting  of  a  real 
baronet.  About  a  week  afterwards  I  went  to  the  shop  of 
the  widow  St  Felix,  to  purchase  some  tobacco  for  my 
father,  when  she  said  to  me — 

"  So,  Jack, — or  Tom,  as  I  hear  you  request  to  be  called 
now, — you  are  going  to  leave  us  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  I ;  "  and  I  shall  be  sorry  to  leave  you, 
— you  have  been  so  kind  to  me." 

**  A  little  kindness  goes  a  great  way  with  some  people, 
Tom,  and  that's  the  case  with  you,  for  you've  a  grateful 
heart.  You're  to  be  a  pilot,  I  hear ;  well,  Tom,  I've  a 
present  to  make  you,  which  you  will  find  very  useful  in 
your  profession,  and  which  will  make  you  think  of  me 
sometimes.     Stop  a  moment  till  I  come  down  again." 

The  widow  went  upstairs,  and  when  she  came  down, 
held  in  her  hand  a  telescope,  or  spy-glass,  as  sailors 
generally  call  them.  It  was  about  two  feet  long,  covered 
with  white  leather,  and  apparently  had  been  well  preserved. 

"  Now,  Tom,  this  is  what  a  pilot  ought  not  to  be 
without ;  and  if  what  was  said  by  the  person  to  whom 
it  belonged  is  true,  it  is  an  excellent  spy-glass  ;  so  now 
accept  it  from  your  loving  friend,  and  long  may  you  live 
to  peep  through  it." 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you  !  "  replied  I,  delighted,  as  Mrs 
St  Fehx  put  it  into  my  hands.  "  I  surveyed  it  all  over, 
pulled  out  the  tube,  and  then  said  to  her,  "Who  did  it 
belong  to  ? " 

"  Tom,"  replied  the  widow,  "  that's  a  sad  trick  you 
have  of  asking  questions  ;  it's  quite  sufficient  that  it  is 
mine,  and  that  I  give  it  to  you, — is  it  not  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  I ;  **  but  you're  the  only  person  who 
says  that  I  ask  too  many  questions.  Why,  here's  a  name  ! 
F.  I." 

The  widow  stretched  herself  over  the  counter  with  a 
sudden  spring,  and  snatched  the  telescope  out  of  my  hand. 
When  I  looked  at  her,  she  stood  pale  and  trembling. 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  inquired  I. 


154  Poor  Jack 

She  put  her  hand  to  her  side,  as  if  in  great  pain,  and  for 
some  seconds  could  not  speak. 

"  Tom,  I  never  knew  that  there  was  a  name  on  the 
telescope  ;  the  name  must  not  be  known,  that's  the  truth  ; 
you  shall  have  it  this  evening,  but  you  must  go  away  now 
— do,  that's  a  dear  good  boy." 

The  widow  turned  to  walk  into  the  back  parlour,  with 
the  telescope  in  her  hand,  and  I  obeyed  her  injunctions  in 
silence  and  wondering.  That  there  was  a  mystery  about 
her  was  certain  ;  and  I  felt  very  sorrowful,  not  that  I  did 
not  know  the  secret,  but  that  I  could  not  be  of  service  to 
her.  That  evening  the  telescope  was  brought  to  my 
mother's  house  by  fat  Jane.  I  perceived  that  the  portion 
of  the  brass  rim  upon  which  the  name  had  been  cut  with  a 
knife,  for  it  had  not  been  engraved,  as  I  thought,  had 
been  carefully  filed  down,  so  that  not  a  vestige  of  the 
letters  appeared. 

The  next  morning  I  was  down  at  the  steps  long  before 
breakfast,  that  I  might  try  my  new  present.  Bill  Freeman 
was  there,  and  he  showed  me  how  to  adjust  the  focus. 
I  amused  myself  looking  at  the  vessels  which  were  work- 
ing up  and  down  the  Reach ;  and  so  much  was  I  delighted, 
that  I  quite  forgot  how  time  passed,  and  lost  my  breakfast. 
Everyone  asked  to  have  a  peep  through  the  telescope,  and 
everyone  declared  that  it  was  an  excellent  glass  j  at  last 
Spicer  came  up  to  where  I  stood. 

"Well,  Jack,"  said  he,  "what  have  you  there, — a 
spy-glass?  Let's  have  a  look;  I'm  a  good  judge  of  one, 
I  can  tell  you." 

I  handed  the  telescope  over  to  him  ;  he  looked  through 
it  for  some  time. 

"A  first-rate  glass,  Jack"  (I  was  oftener  called  Jack 
than  Tom  at  that  time) ;  "  I  never  knew  but  one  equal 
to  it.     "Where  did  you  get  it  ? " 

I  don't  exactly  know  why,  but  perhaps  the  mystery 
evident  in  the  widow,  and  the  cautions  I  had  received 
against  Spicer,  combined  together,  induced  me  not  to 
answer  the  question. 


Poor  Jack  155 

"It's  odd,"  observed  Spicer,  who  was  now  examining 
the  outside  of  the  telescope ;  "  I  could  almost  swear  to 
it."  He  then  looked  at  the  small  brass  rim  where  the 
name  had  been,  and  perceived  that  it  had  been  erased. 
"  Now  I'm  positive !  Jack,  where  did  you  get  this 
glass  ? " 

"  It  was  made  a  present  to  me,"  replied  I. 

**  Come  here,"  said  Spicer,  leading  me  apart  from  the 
others  standing  by.  "  Now  tell  me  directly  " — and  Spicer 
spoke  in  an  authoritative  tone — **  who  gave  you  this 
glass  ? " 

I  really  was  somewhat  afraid  of  Spicer,  who  had  gained 
much  power  over  me.  I  dared  not  say  that  I  would  not 
tell  him,  and  I  did  not  like  to  tell  a  lie.  I  thought  that 
if  I  told  the  truth  I  might  somehow  or  another  injure 
Mrs  St  Felix,  and  I  therefore  answered  evasively. 

**  It  was  sent  to  me  as  a  present  by  a  lady." 

**  Oh !  "  replied  Spicer,  who  had  heard  of  Sir  Hercules 
and  his  lady,  **  so  the  lady  sent  it  to  you  !  It's  very  odd," 
continued  he ;  "I  could  take  my  oath  that  I've  had  that 
glass  in  my  hand  a  hundred  times." 

"  Indeed  !  "  replied  I.     "  Where  ?  " 

But  Spicer  did  not  answer  me ;  he  had  fallen  into  one 
of  his  dark  moods,  and  appeared  as  if  recalling  former 
events  to  his  mind.  He  still  kept  possession  of  the  glass, 
and  I  was  afraid  that  he  would  not  return  it,  for  I  tried 
to  take  it  softly  out  of  his  hand,  and  he  would  not  let  go. 
He  remained  in  this  way  about  a  minute,  when  I  perceived 
my  father  and  Ben  the  Whaler  coming  up,  at  which  I  was 
delighted. 

"  Father,"  said  I,  as  they  came  near,  "  come  and  try  my 
new  spy-glass." 

Spicer  started,  and  released  the  telescope,  when  I  laid 
hold  of  it  and  put  it  into  my  father's  hands.  As  neither 
my  father  nor  Ben  would  ever  speak  to  him,  Spicer,  with 
a  lowering  brow,  walked  away.  After  my  father  had 
examined  the  glass  and  praised  it,  he  very  naturally  asked 
me  where  I  obtained  it.     After  what  had  passed  with 


156  Poor  Jack 

Spicer,  I  was  so  fearful  of  his  discovering,  by  other  people, 
by  whom  the  glass  had  been  given  to  me,  that  I  replied 
again,  in  the  hearing  of  everybody,  "  a  lady ;  father, — 
you  may  easily  guess  who." 

"  Well,"  replied  my  father,  *'  I  never  thought  that  her 
Ladyship  could  have  been  so  generous  j  I  take  it  very 
kindly  of  her." 

I  was  delighted  at  my  father  falling  so  easily  into  the 
mistake.  As  for  my  mother  and  Virginia,  they  were 
neither  of  them  present  when  Jane  brought  the  telescope 
to  me,  or  I  certainly  should  have  stated,  without  reserva- 
tion, to  whom  I  had  been  indebted.  I  hardly  could  decide 
whether  I  would  go  to  the  widow  and  tell  her  what  had 
occurred  j  but,  upon  some  reflection,  as  she  had  accused 
me  of  asking  too  many  questions,  and  might  suppose 
that  I  wished  to  obtain  her  secrets,  I  determined  upon 
saying  nothing  about  it. 

For  a  week  I  occupied  myself  wholly  with  my  telescope, 
and  I  became  perfectly  master  of  it,  or  rather  quite  used 
to  it,  which  is  of  some  importance.  I  avoided  Spicer, 
always  leaving  the  steps  when  I  perceived  him  approaching, 
although  once  or  twice  he  beckoned  to  me.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  the  week,  a  message  was  brought  by  a  waterman 
from  Philip  Bramble,  stating  that  he  should  pass  Greenwich 
in  a  day  or  two,  being  about  to  take  down  a  West  Indiaman 
then  lying  below  London  Bridge :  my  clothes  were  there- 
fore then  packed  up  in  readiness,  and  I  went  to  bid  farewell 
to  my  limited  acquaintance. 

I  called  upon  old  Nanny,  who  was  now  quite  strong 
again.  I  had  before  acquainted  her  with  my  future  pros- 
pects. 

"  Well,  Jack,"  says  she,  "  and  so  you're  going  away  ? 
I  don't  think  you  were  quite  right  to  give  up  a  situation 
where  you  gained  so  many  half-pence  every  day,  and  only 
for  touching  your  cap :  however,  you  know  best.  I  shall 
have  no  more  bargains  after  you  are  gone, — that's  certain. 
But,  Jack,  you'll  be  on  board  of  vessels  coming  from  the 
East  and  West  Indies,  and  all  other  parts  of  the  world, 


Poor  Jack  157 

and  they  have  plenty  of  pretty  things  on  board,  such  as 
shells,  and  empty  bottles,  and  hard  biscuit,  and  bags  of 
oakum  ;  and,  Jack,  they  will  give  them  to  you  for  nothing, 
for  sailors  don't  care  what  they  give  away  when  they  come 
from  a  long  voyage ;  and  so  mind  you  beg  for  me  as  much 
as  you  can,  that's  a  good  boy  ;  but  don't  take  live  monkeys 
or  those  things,  they  eat  so  much.  You  may  bring  me  a 
parrot,  I  think  I  could  sell  one,  and  that  don't  cost  much 
to  feed.  Do  you  understand,  Jack  ?  Will  you  do  this  for 
me?" 

"I  don't  know  whether  I  can  do  all  you  wish,  but 
depend  upon  it,  mother,  I  won't  forget  you." 

"  That's  enough.  Jack,  you'll  keep  your  word  j  and  now, 
is  there  any  nice  thing  that  I  can  give  you  out  of  my  shop, 
as  a  keepsake.  Jack  ? " 

"  Why,  no,  mother,  I  thank  you, — nothing." 

*'  Think  of  something,  Jack,"  replied  old  Nanny ;  **  you 
must  have  something." 

"Well,  then,  mother,  you  know  I  like  reading;  will 
you  give  me  the  old  book  that  I  was  reading  when  I  sat 
up  with  you  one  night  ? " 

"  Yes,  Jack,  and  welcome  ;  what  book  is  it  ?  I  don't 
know — I  can't  see  to  read  large  print  without  spectacles, 
and  I  broke  mine  many  years  ago." 

*'  Why  do  you  not  buy  another  pair  ?  " 

"  Another  pair,  Jack  ?  Spectacles  cost  money.  I've  no 
money  ;  and  as  I  never  read,  I  don't  want  spectacles.  Go 
in  and  fetch  the  book ;  it's  yours,  and  welcome." 

I  went  in  and  brought  out  the  Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's 
Progress "  which  I  before  mentioned.  "  This  is  it, 
mother." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  recollect  now,  it's  a  very  pretty  book. 
What's  it  about.  Jack  ?  I  can't  see  myself :  never  mind, 
take  it.  Jack,  and  don't  forget  your  promise." 

I  wished  old  Nanny  good-bye,  and  took  the  book  home, 
which  I  gave  into  Virginia's  care,  as  I  wished  her  to  read 
it.  The  next  morning,  at  daybreak,  I  was  summoned ; 
the  ship  was  dropping  down  the  river.     I  bade  farewell  to 


158  Poor  Jack 

my  little  sister,  who  wept  on  my  shoulder ;  to  my  mother, 
who  hardly  condescended  to  answer  me.  My  father 
helped  me  down  with  my  luggage,  which  was  not  very 
heavy  j  and  Anderson  and  old  Ben  accompanied  us  to  the 
landing-steps  :  and  having  bid  them  all  farewell,  besides 
many  others  of  my  friends  who  were  there,  I  stepped  into 
the  boat  sent  for  me,  and  quitted  Greenwich  for  my  new 
avocation,  on  the  6th  of  October  1 799,  being  then,  as 
Anderson  had  calculated,  precisely  thirteen  years  and 
seven  months  old. 


Chapter  XXII 

In  which  a  story  is  begun  and  not  finished,  which  I  think  the  reader  will 
regret  as  much  as,  at  the  time,  I  did. 

The  boat  was  soon  alongside  of  the  West  Indiaman,  wWch 
had  been  tiding  it  down  Limehouse  Reach  under  her  top- 
sails, there  being  but  little  wind,  and  that  contrary ;  but 
now  that  she  had  arrived  to  Greenwich  Reach,  she  had 
braced  up,  with  her  head  the  right  way.  My  box  was 
handed  up  the  side,  and  I  made  my  appearance  on  the 
deck  soon  afterwards,  with  my  telescope  in  my  hand. 

"■  Are  you  the  lad  for  whom  the  pilot  sent  the  boat  ?  " 
inquired  a  man  whom  I  afterwards  found  to  be  the  second 
mate. 

"  Yes,"  replied  I. 

"  Well,  there  he  is  abaft,  in  a  P-jacket,"  said  he,  walk- 
ing to  the  gangway,  and  directing  the  men  to  drop  the 
boat  astern. 

I  looked  aft,  and  perceived  my  future  master  talking 
with  the  captain  of  the  vessel.  Philip  Bramble  was  a 
spare  man,  about  five  feet  seven  inches  high  :  he  had  on 
his  head  a  low-crowned  tarpaulin  hat;  a  short  P-jacket 
(so-called  from  the  abbreviation  of  pi/ot^s  jacket)  reached 
down  to  just  above  the  knees.  His  features  were  regular  j 
and,    indeed,  although    weather-beaten,   they    might    be 


Poor  Jack  159 

termed  handsome.  His  nose  was  perfectly  straight,  his 
lips  thin,  his  eyes  grey  and  very  keen  -,  he  had  little  or 
no  whiskers,  and,  from  his  appearance,  and  the  intermixture 
of  grey  with  his  brown  hair,  I  supposed  him  to  be  about 
fifty  years  of  age.  In  one  hand  he  held  a  short  clay-pipe, 
into  which  he  was  inserting  the  forefinger  of  the  other,  as 
he  talked  with  the  captain.  At  the  time  that  he  was 
pointed  out  to  me  by  the  second  mate  he  was  looking  up 
aloft ;  I  had,  therefore,  time  to  make  the  above  observa- 
tions before  he  cast  his  eyes  down  and  perceived  me, 
when  I  immediately  went  aft  to  him. 

*'  I  suppose  you  are  Tom  Saunders,"  said  he,  surveying 
me  from  head  to  foot. 

I  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

"  Well,  Anderson  has  given  you  a  good  character ; 
mind  you  don't  lose  it.  D'ye  think  you'll  like  to  be  a 
pilot  ?  " 

*'  Yes,"  replied  I. 

"  Have  you  sharp  eyes,  a  good  memory,  and  plenty  of 
nerve  ? " 

"  I  believe  I've  got  the  two  first ;  I  don't  know  about 
the  other." 

"  I  suppose  not ;  it  hasn't  been  tried  yet.  How  far  can 
you  see  through  a  fog  ?  " 

"  According  how  thick  it  is." 

"I  see  you've  a  glass  there  ;  tell  me  what  you  make  of 
that  vessel  just  opening  from  Blackwall  Reach  i  " 

"What,  that  ship?" 

"  Oh,  you  can  make  it  out  to  be  a  ship,  can  you,  with 
the  naked  eye  ?     Well,  then,  you  have  good  eyes." 

I  fixed  my  glass  upon  the  vessel  j  and,  after  a  time, 
not  having  forgotten  the  lessons  so  repeatedly  given  me 
by  Spicer,  I  said,  "  She  has  no  colours  up  j  but  she's  an 
Embden  vessel,  by  her  build." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  he,  "  hand  me  the  glass.  The  boy's  right, 
— and  a  good  glass,  too.  Come,  I  see  you  do  know  some-r 
thing  ;  and  good  knowledge,  too,  for  a  pilot.  It,  often 
saves  us  a  deal  of  trouble  when  we  know  a  vessel  by  her 


i6o  Poor  Jack 

build  i  them  foreigners  sail  too  close  to  take  pilots.  Can 
you  stand  cold  ?     Have  you  got  a  P-jacket  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  father  bought  me  one." 

"  Well,  you'll  want  it  this  winter  ;  for  the  wild  geese 
tell  us  that  it  will  be  a  sharp  one.     Steady,  starboard  !  " 

"  Starboard  it  is  !  " 

*'  D'ye  know  the  compass  .?" 

"No." 

"  Well,  stop  till  we  get  down  to  Deal.  Now,  stand  by 
me,  and  keep  your  eyes  wide  open  j  for,  d'ye  see,  you've 
plenty  to  larn,  and  you  can't  begin  too  soon.  We  must 
square  the  mainyard,  captain,  if  you  please,"  continued 
he,  as  we  entered  Blackwall  Reach.  "  What  could  make 
the  river  so  perverse  as  to  take  these  two  bends  in  Lime- 
house  and  Blackwall  Reaches,  unless  to  give  pilots  trouble, 
I  can't  say." 

The  wind  being  now  contrary,  from  the  sharp  turn  in 
the  river,  we  were  again  tiding  it  down ;  that  is,  hove- 
to  and  allowing  the  tide  to  drift  us  through  the  Reach  j 
but,  as  soon  as  we  were  clear  of  Blackwall  Reach,  we 
could  lay  our  course  down  the  river.  As  we  passed 
Gravesend,  Bramble  asked  me  whether  I  was  ever  so 
low  down. 

"  Yes,"  replied  I,  "  I  have  been  down  as  far  as  Sea 
Reach ; "  which  I  had  been  when  I  was  upset  in  the 
wherry,  and  I  told  him  the  story. 

"  Well,  Tom,  that's  called  the  river  now  ;  but  do  you 
know  that,  many  years  ago,  where  we  now  are  used  to 
be  considered  as  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  that  fort 
there  "  (pointing  to  Tilbury  Fort)  "  was  built  to  defend 
it ;  for  they  say  the  French  fleet  used  to  come  and  anchor 
down  below." 

"Yes,"  replied  I;  "and  they  say,  in  the  History  of 
England,  that  the  Danes  used  to  come  up  much  higher, 
even  up  to  Greenwich  j  but  that's  a  very  long  while 
ago." 

"  Well,  you  beat  me,  Tom ;  I  never  heard  that ;  and 
I  think,  if  ever  they  did  do  so,  they  won't   do  it  again 


Poor  Jack  i6i 

in  a  hurry.  What  water  have  you  got,  my  man  r  Port 
there  !  " 

"  Port  it  is." 

"  Steady,— so." 

"Shall  we  get  down  to  the  Nore  to-night,  pilot?" 
said  the  captain. 

**  Why,  sir,  I'm  in  hopes  we  shall ;  we  have  still  nearly 
three  hours'  daylight  j  and  now  that  we  are  clear  of  the 
Hope,  we  shall  lay  fairly  down  Sea  Reach ;  and  if  the 
wind  will  only  freshen  a  little  (and  it  looks  very  like  it), 
we  shall  be  able  to  stem  the  first  of  the  flood,  at  all 
events." 

I  ought  to  observe,  that  Bramble,  as  soon  as  he  had 
passed  any  shoal  or  danger,  pointed  it  out  to  me  :  he 
said — 

"  I  tell  it  to  you,  because  you  can't  be  told  too  often. 
You  won't  recollect  much  that  I  tell  you,  I  dare  say ;  I 
don't  expect  it ;  but  you  may  recollect  a  little,  and  every 
little  helps." 

The  tide  had  flowed  more  than  an  hour  when  we  passed 
the  Nore  light  and  came  to  an  anchor. 

"  What  lights  are  those  ?  "  inquired  I. 

"That's  Sheerness,"  replied  Bramble.  **We  were  talk- 
ing of  the  French  and  Danes  coming  up  the  river.  Why, 
Tom,  it  is  not  much  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago  when  the  Dutch  fleet  came  up  to  Sheerness, 
destroyed  the  batteries  and  landed  troops  there ;  how- 
somever,  as  I  said  of  the  French  and  the  other  chaps, 
they  won't  do  so  again  in  a  hurry." 

As  soon  as  they  had  veered  out  sufficient  cable.  Bramble 
accepted  the  invitation  of  the  captain  to  go  down  in  the 
cabin,  when  I  went  and  joined  the  men,  who  were  getting 
their  supper  forwards.  I  was  soon  on  good  terms  with 
them ;  and  after  supper,  as  it  was  cold,  they  went  down 
to  the  fore  peak,  got  out  some  beer  and  grog,  and  we 
sat  round  in  a  circle,  with  the  bottles  and  mugs  and  a 
farthing  candle  in  the  centre.  Being  right  in  the  e'^es 
of  her,  as  it  is  termed,  we  could  plainly  hear  the  water 

P.J.  L 


i62  Poor  Jack 

slapping  against  the  bends  outside  of  her,  as  it  was 
divided  by  the  keelson,  and  borne  away  by  the  strong 
flood  tide.  It  was  a  melancholy  sound  ;  I  had  never  heard 
it  before  ;  and  during  a  pause,  as  I  listened  to  it,  one  of 
the  men  observed,  "  Queer  sound,  boy,  ain't  it  ?  You'd 
think  that  the  water  was  lapping  in  right  among  us.  But 
noises  aboard  ship  don't  sound  as  they  do  on  shore  ;  I 
don't  know  why."  Nor  more  did  I  at  that  time  ;  the  fact 
is,  that  nothing  conveys  sound  better  than  wood,  and 
every  slight  noise  is  magnified,  in  consequence,  on  board 
of  a  vessel. 

**  I  recollect  when  I  was  on  a  Mediterranean  voyage 
how  we  were  frightened  with  noises,  sure  enough," 
observed  one  of  the  men. 

"  Come,  that's  right,  Dick,  give  us  a  yarn,"  said  the 
others. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Dick,  "  and  it's  a  true  yarn  too,  and 
all  about  a  ghost." 

"  Well,  stop  a  moment,"  said  one  of  the  men,  **  and 
let  us  top  this  glim  a  bit  before  you  begin  ;  for  it  seemed 
to  get  dimmer  the  moment  you  talked  about  a  ghost." 
Dick  waited  till  a  little  more  light  was  obtained,  and 
then  commenced. 

"I  had  shipped  on  board  of  a  vessel  bound  to  Smyrna, 
now  about  seven  years  ago.  "We  had  gone  down  to  Ports- 
mouth, where  we  waited  for  one  of  the  partners  of  the 
house  by  which  we  had  been  freighted,  and  who  was 
going  out  as  passenger.  We  were  a  man  short,  and  the 
captain  went  on  shore  to  get  one  from  the  crimps,  whom 
he  knew  very  well,  and  the  fellows  promised  to  send  one 
on  board  the  next  morning.  Well,  sure  enough,  a  wherry 
came  off  with  him  just  before  break  of  day,  and  he  and  his 
traps  were  taken  on  board  j  but  it  was  not  perceived,  at 
the  time,  what  he  had  in  his  arms  under  his  grego ;  and 
what  do  you  think  it  proved  to  be  at  daylight  ?  Why — a 
large  black  torn  cat." 

"  What,  a  black  one  ? " 

"  Yes,  as  black  as  the  enemy  himself.     The  fellow  came 


Poor  Jack  163 

down  forward  with  it,  and  so  says  I,  *  Why,  messmate, 
you're  not  going  to  take  that  animal  to  sea  with  us  ? ' 

"  *  Yes,  I  am,'  said  he  very  surlily  j  •  It's  an  old  friend 
of  mine,  and  I  never  parts  with  him.' 

•*  *  Well,'  says  I,  *  you'll  find  the  difference  when  the 
captain  hears  on  it,  I  can  tell  you ;  and,  for  the  matter  of 
that,  I  won't  promise  you  that  it  will  be  very  safe  if  it 
comes  near  me,  when  I've  a  handspike  in  my  hand.' 

"  '  I  tell  you  what,'  says  he,  *  it  ain't  the  taking  of  a  cat 
on  board  what  brings  mischief;  but  it's  turning  one  out  of 
a  ship,  what  occasions  ill  luck.  No  cat  ever  sunk  a  ship 
till  the  animal  was  hove  overboard,  and  sunk  first  itself, 
and  then  it  does  drag  the  ship  down  after  it.' 

"  Well,  one  of  the  boys  who  did  not  care  about  such 
things,  for  he  was  young  and  ignorant,  put  his  hand  to 
the  cat's  head  to  stroke  it,  and  the  cat  bit  him  right  through 
the  fingers,  at  which  the  boy  gave  a  loud  cry. 

**  *  Now,  that  will  teach  you  to  leave  my  cat  alone,'  said 
the  man;  *he  won't  come  near  nobody  but  me,  and  he 
bites  everybody  else,  so  I  give  you  fair  warning.' 

"  And  sure  enough  the  brute,  which  was  about  as  big 
as  two  common  cats,  was  just  as  savage  as  a  tiger.  When 
the  first  mate  called  the  man  on  deck,  the  fellow  left  his 
cat  behind  him  in  the  fore-peak,  just  as  if  it  were  now  here ; 
and  it  got  into  a  dark  corner,  growling  and  humping  its 
back,  with  its  eyes  flashing  fire  at  everyone  of  us  as  we 
came  anigh  it.  *  Oh ! '  says  we,  *  this  here  won't  never 
do;  wait  till  the  captain  comes  on  board,  that's  all.' 
Well,  the  hatches  were  off,  and  we  were  busy  re-stowing 
the  upper  tier  of  the  cargo,  which  we  had  thrown  in  very 
carelessly.in  our  hurry  to  get  down  the  river  ;  just  putting 
the  bales  in  order  (it  wasn't  breaking  bulk,  you  see) ;  and 
we  were  at  it  all  day.  At  last,  towards  evening,  the 
captain  comes  on  board  with  the  gentleman  passenger ;  a 
mighty  timorsome  sort  of  young  chap  he  appeared  for  to 
be,  and  had  never  before  set  his  foot  upon  the  plank  of  a 
vessel.  So,  as  soon  as  the  captain  was  on  deck,  we  all 
broke  off  our  work  and  went  to  him  to  tell  him  about  this 


164  Poor  Jack 

cat ;  and  the  captain  he  gets  into  a  great  rage  as  soon  as 
he  hears  on  it,  and  orders  the  man  to  send  the  cat  on 
shore,  or  else  he'd  throw  it  overboard.  Well,  the  man, 
who  was  a  sulky,  saucy  sort  of  chap,  and  no  seaman,  I've 
a  notion,  gives  cheek,  and  says  he  won't  send  his  cat  on 
shore  for  no  man ;  whereupon  the  captain  orders  the  cat 
to  be  caught,  that  he  might  send  it  in  the  boat;  but 
nobody  dared  to  catch  it,  for  it  was  so  fierce  to  everybody 
but  its  master :  the  second  mate  tried,  and  he  got  a  devil 
of  a  bite,  and  came  up  from  the  fore-peak  without  the  cat, 
looking  very  blue  indeed ;  and  then  the  first  mate  went 
down,  and  he  tried ;  but  the  cat  flew  at  him,  and  he  came 
up  as  white  as  a  sheet ;  and  then  the  cat  became  so  savage 
that  it  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  all  ready  to  attack 
whoever  should  come  down ;  and  the  man  laughed  heartily, 
and  told  us  to  fetch  the  cat.  *  Well,'  says  the  first  mate, 
*  I  can't  touch  the  cat,  but  I  can  you,  you  beggar ;  and  I 
will,  too,  if  it  costs  me  twenty  pounds ; '  so  he  ups  with  a 
handspike  and  knocks  the  fellow  down  senseless  on  the 
deck,  and  there  he  laid ;  and  it  sarved  him  right. 

"  Well,  then  the  captain  thought  to  shoot  the  cat,  for  it 
was  for  all  the  world  like  a  wild  beast,  and  one  proposed 
one  thing  and  one  another;  at  last  Jim,  the  cabin  boy, 
comes  forward  with  some  brimstone  matches  in  a  pan,  and 
he  lights  them  and  lowers  them  down  into  the  fore  peak 
by  a  rope  yarn,  to  smother  it  out;  and  so  it  did  sure 
enough,  for  all  of  a  sudden  the  cat  made  a  spring  up  to 
the  deck,  and  then  we  all  chased  it  here  and  there  until 
at  last  it  got  out  to  the  end  of  the  flying  jib-boom  ;  and  then 
Jim,  the  cabin  boy,  followed  it  out  with  a  handspike,  and 
poked  at  it  as  hard  as  he  could,  until  at  last  it  lost  its 
hold,  and  down  it  went  into  the  water,  and  Jim  and  the 
handspike  went  along  with  it ;  for  Jim,  in  his  last  poke 
at  the  cat,  lost  his  balance — so  away  they  went  together. 
Well,  there  was  a  great  hurry  in  manning  the  boat,  and 
picking  up  poor  Jim  and  the  handspike ;  but  the  cat  we  saw 
no  more,  for  it  was  just  dark  at  the  time.  Well,  when 
it  was  all  over,  we  began  to  think  what  we  had  done ; 


Poor  Jack  165 

zpd  as  soon  as  we  had  put  on  the  hatches  and  secured  the 
hold,  we  went  down  below  into  the  fore  peak,  where  the 
smell  of  brimstone  did  not  make  us  feel  more  comfortable, 
I  can  tell  you,  and  we  began  to  talk  over  the  matter ;  for 
you  see  the  cat  should  not  have  been  thrown  overboard, 
but  put  on  shore ;  but  we  were  called  away  to  man  the 
boat  again,  for  the  fellow  had  come  to  his  senses,  and 
swore  that  he  would  not  stay  in  the  ship,  but  go  on  shore 
and  take  the  law  of  the  first  mate;  and  the  first  mate 
and  captain  thought  the  sooner  he  was  out  of  the  ship 
the  better,  for  we  were  to  sail  before  daylight,  and  there 
might  not  be  a  wherry  for  him  to  get  into ;  so  the  fellow 
took  his  kit,  and  we  pulled  him  on  shore  and  landed  him 
on  Southsea  beach,  he  swearing  vengeance  the  whole 
way,  and  as  he  stepped  out  on  the  beach  he  turned  round 
to  us,  and  said,  as  he  shook  his  fist,  *  You've  thrown 
overboard  a  Mack  torn  cat,  recollect  that !  and  now  you'll 
see  the  consequence;  a  pleasant  voyage  to  you, — I 
wouldn't  sail  in  that  vessel  if  you  were  to  offer  her  to 
me  as  a  present  as  soon  as  she  got  to  Smyrna ;  because 
why — you've  thrown  overboard  a  black  torn  cat,  and  you'll 
never  get  there — never ^  cried  he  again,  and  off  he  ran 
with  his  bundle. 

"  Well  we  didn't  much  like  it,  and  if  the  second  mate 
hadn't  been  in  the  boat,  I'm  not  sure  that  we  shouldn't 
all  have  gone  on  shore  rather  than  sail  in  the  vessel ;  but 
there  was  no  help  for  it.  The  next  morning  before 
daylight  we  started,  for  the  captain  wouldn't  wait  to  get 
another  hand,  and  we  were  soon  out  of  soundings,  and 
well  into  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 

"  We  had  just  passed  Cape  Finisterre,  when  Jim,  the 
cabin  boy,  says,  one  morning,  '  I'm  blessed  if  I  didn't  hear 
that  cat  last  night,  or  the  ghost  on  it ! '  So  we  laughed 
at  him;  for,  you  see,  he  slept  abaft,  just  outside  the 
cabin-door,  close  to  the  pantry,  and  not  forward  with  the 
rest  of  us. 

"  *  Well,'  says  he,  *  I  heard  her  miaul,  and  when  I 
awoke  I  think  I  seed  two  eyes  looking  at  me.' 


1 66  Poor  Jack 

"  *  Well,  Jim,'  said  I,  for  we  had  got  over  our  fears,  *it 
was  you  who  knocked  her  overboard  j  so  it's  all  right 
that  she  should  haunt  you  and  nobody  else.'  Jim, 
however,  could  not  laugh,  but  looked  very  grave  and 
unhappy.  A  few  days  afterwards,  the  captain  and 
passenger  complained  that  they  could  not  sleep  for  the 
noise  and  racket  that  was  kept  up  all  night  between  the 
timbers  and  in  the  run  aft.  They  said  it  was  as  if  a 
whole  legion  of  devils  were  broken  loose  and  scampering 
about :  and  the  captain  was  very  grave  ;  and  as  for  the 
passenger,  he  was  frightened  out  of  his  wits.  Still  we 
laughed,  because  we  had  heard  nothing  ourselves,  and 
thought  that  it  must  only  be  fancy  on  their  parts,  particularly 
as  the  captain  used  to  bowse  his  jib  up  pretty  taut  every 
night.  Well,  all  went  on  very  well ;  we  arrived  at  the 
Rock,  got  our  fresh  provisions  and  vegetables,  and  then 
made  sail  again.  The  captain  complained  of  no  more 
noises,  and  Jim  of  no  more  eyes,  and  the  whole  matter 
was  almost  forgotten." 

Here  the  narrator  was  interrupted  by  the  thumping  of 
a  handspike  on  the  deck  above. 

**  Halloo !  what's  the  matter  now  !  " 

**  Come,  tumble  up,  my  lads,  and  pump  the  ship  out," 
said  the  mate  from  above j  "we  had  almost  forgotten  that. 
Be  smart  now,  it's  but  a  ten  minutes'  job." 

Thus  broke  off  the  story,  much  to  my  annoyance  •,  but 
it  could  not  be  helped, — ships  must  be  pumped  out, — so 
the  men  went  on  deck,  and  I  followed  them. 


Chapter  XXIII 

"Recollect,"  says    the    fellow,   "you   have    thrown    overboard    a    black, 
torn  cat  I " 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  pump  sucked,  and  we  all 
hastened  down  below  to  our  grog,  and  the  completion  of 


Poor  Jack  167 

our  yarn.  As  soon  as  we  were  all  comfortably  seated  as 
before,  Dick  recommenced. 

"  Well,  we  were  abreast  of  Malta,  when  the  weather, 
which  had  hitherto  on  the  voyage  been  very  fine,  changed. 
The  clouds  hung  down  very  heavy,  and  there  was  every 
symptom  of  a  fierce  gale ;  and  sure  enough  a  worse  gale 
I  never  was  in  than  came  on  that  night, — and  such  a  sea ! — 
the  ship  rolled  gunnel  under,  for  the  gale  was  fair,  but 
the  sea  ran  so  high  and  so  fast,  that  we  expected  to  be 
pooped  every  minute.  It  was  about  midnight,  when  the 
rain  came  on  in  torrents,  and  the  wind  blew  fiercer  than 
ever.  I  was  on  deck,  and  so  was  the  first  mate,  and 
another  man  at  the  helm,  for  we  were  flying  right  before 
it,  and  she  was  hard  to  steer. 

"  *  We  shall  have  it  worse  yet,**  said  the  captain. 

"  '  Miaw  ! '  was  the  reply ;  so  clear,  so  loud,  we  could 
not  tell  where  it  came  from.  I  thought  it  came  from  the 
maintop. 

"  *  Mercy  on  us !  what  was  that  ?  *  said  the  first  mate, 
the  light  from  the  binnacle  showing  his  face  as  pale  as  a 
sheet. 

"  *  Miaivl*  was  the  reply  from  somewhere. 

"  *  The  black  cat,  by  all  that's  blue  ! '  cried  the  captain. 

***The  Lord  have  mercy  upon  us,  we're  all  gone!' 
said  the  mate,  clasping  his  hands  in  terror.  To  clasp  his 
hands,  of  course  he  let  go  the  wheel ;  and  the  other  man, 
who  was  equally  frightened,  had  not  strength  to  hold  it. 
Away  he  went,  right  over  the  wheel,  knocking  down 
the  mate  on  the  other  side ;  and  the  ship  taking  a  heavy 
lurch,  they  both  went  into  the  scuppers  together.  The 
ship  broached  to ;  and  our  mainmast  and  mizenmast  went 
over  the  side." 

**Do  top  that  glim,  Bill,"  said  one  of  the  men,  in  a 
tremulous  voice. 

Dick  paused  while  the  snufF  was  taken  off  the  candle  j 
and  the  water  went  tap,  tap,  tap  against  the  bends,  with 
a  most  melancholy  sound. 

I  really  did  feel  rather  queer  myself. 


i63  Poor  Jack 

Dick  continued, — "Well,  all  hands  were  on  deck 
immediately ;  and  it  was  good  two  hours  before  we  could 
clear  the  wreck,  for  the  men  were  disheartened.  They 
had  heard  the  loud  mianv  when  in  the  fore  peak,  and 
declared  that  it  was  close  to  them;  and  the  passenger 
and  Jim  came  out,  frightened  out  of  their  wits.  They 
had  heard  the  mianv,  and  said  that  it  was  from  under  the 
cabin  table.  At  last  we  were  clear  of  the  wreck,  and  the 
wind  roared  louder  than  ever. 

"The  captain  was  a  stout-hearted  fellow,  and  as  the 
men  were  collected  together  under  the  bulwark,  he  said, 
*  Well,  this  breeze  will  shorten  our  distance  at  any  rate, 
and,  if  it  holds,  we  shall  soon  be  at  Smyrna.' 

"  *  We  shall  never  see  Smyrna ! '  replied  the  second 
mate,  his  teeth  chattering. 

"  *  No,  never  ! '  cried  the  seamen. 

"The  captain  sent  Jim  down  for  his  rum  bottle,  and 
gave  every  man  a  stiff  glass  of  liquor,  and  that  made  them 
feel  more  comfortable  for  a  time ;  when  there  was  a  sort 
of  lull,  and  again  the  loud  miaw  was  repeated. 

"  *  There  it  is ! '  cried  the  men ;  but  they  hardly  had 
time  to  say  so,  when  the  ship  was  pooped  with  a  tremen- 
dous sea,  washing  away  the  stern  and  quarter  boats,  and 
sending  all  the  men  swimming  forward.  So  loaded  was 
the  ship  with  water,  that  she  stopped,  and  appeared  as  if 
she  was  settling  down.  At  last  she  rolled  heavy  to  port 
and  discharged  it,  and  away  we  went  before  the  wind, 
faster  than  ever.  Well,  there  was  some  talk  among  the 
seamen  of  throwing  poor  Jim  overboard  to  appease  the 
ghost  of  the  cat,  for  it  was  he  who  had  thrown  the  cat 
overboard.  But  the  captain  heard  what  the  men  were 
saying,  and  he  swore  that  he  would  knock  the  brains  out 
of  the  first  man  who  laid  hold  of  the  boy ;  and  he  sent 
Jim  below  out  of  harm's  way.  Poor  Jim !  how  bitterly 
he  cried,  poor  boy,  when  he  heard  what  was  going  on. 

"  Well,  it's  a  long  lane  that  has  no  turning,  and  no  gale 
lasts  for  ever ;  the  next  day  it  moderated,  and  the  day 
after  the  weather  was  quite  fine,  and  the  sea  had  gone 


Poor  Jack  169 

down.  We  recovered  our  spirits,  the  more  so,  as  we 
heard  no  more  of  the  cat  j  and  having  jury-rigged  her  aft, 
we  steered  our  course  with  a  light  breeze.  We  were 
now  but  a  short  distance  from  Smyrna,  and  hoped  to  be 
there  by  the  next  day  j  but  the  second  mate  shook  his 
head ;  he  said,  '  The  cat  has  not  done  with  us,  for  it  was 
a  black  torn  cat.'  , 

"  The  fourth  day  the  captain  came  on  deck,  and  said, 
'  I  heard  a  great  washing  of  water  in  the  run  last  night,  as 
I  thought ;  have  you  sounded  the  well  lately  ?  ' 

"  *  No,'  replied  the  first  mate,  •  I  left  that  to  the 
carpenter.' 

"  *  Well,  then,  ask  him.'  Well,  the  carpenter  had  not 
sounded  the  well,  as  it  appeared ;  and  so  he  sounded  it 
immediately,  and  found  that  we  had  six  feet  -water  in  the  hold. 

**  *  I  knowed  we  were  doomed,'  said  the  second  mate; 
*  we'll  never  get  at  port:'  and  so  thought  the  men;  but 
the  captain  said — 

"•Why,  the,  fact  is,  my  lads,  -^re  must  have  sprung  a 
leak  in  the  gale,  and  no  wonder,  beating  against  the  wreck 
so,  as  we  did  when  the  masts  went  over  the  side.  Gome, 
rig  the  pumps,  and  we  shall  soon  clear  her.  The  tom  cat 
has  nothing  to  do  with  this,  at  all  events.* 

"Now  you  see  our  bottom  cargo  consisted  of  two  or 
three  tier  of  crates  of  crockery,  which  would  not  spoil  by 
being  wet ;  but  the  upper  part  of  the  cargo  was  bales  of 
dry  goods  and  linen,  so  the  captain  was  very  anxious  that 
they  should  work  the  pumps  before  the  water  got  higher ; 
the  weather  was  very  fine,  the  sea  smooth,  and  the  wind, 
although  fair,  was  light.  Well,  the  seamen  were  terrified, 
and  thought  they  were  lost ;  they  asked  for  liquor,  and 
refused  to  work  at  the  pumps;  they  said  it  was  no  use, 
the  ship  was  doomed.  Well,  the  captain  he  got  very 
angry,  he  went  down  into  the  cabin,  loaded  his  double- 
barrelled  gun,  and  swore  that  he  would  shoot  the  first 
man  through  the  head  who  refused  to  work  at  the  pumps. 
The  men  knew  that  he  was  in  earnest,  for  he  was  a  violent 
sort  of  fellow,  and  so  they  set  to.     We  didn't  gain  much 


170  Poor  Jack 

upon  her  j  I  thought  we  did  a  little,  but  the  men  said  no. 
The  captain  declared  that  we  did  gain  considerably,  but  it 
was  supposed  that  he  only  said  so  to  encourage  the  people. 
Well,  the  captain  ordered  the  mate  to  take  up  the  hatches, 
that  they  might  see  the  state  of  the  cargo.  This  was 
done ;  the  dry  goods,  as  far  as  we  could  make  out,  were 
not  injured,  and  the  men  pumped  spell  and  spell  until  the 
evening,  when  the  captain  gave  them  a  good  allowance  of 
grog,  and  an  hour  to  rest  themselves.  It  was  a  beautiful 
moonlight  night,  the  sails  were  just  asleep  and  no  more ; 
but  the  vessel  was  heavy,  from  the  water  in  her,  and  we 
dragged  slowly  along.  The  captain,  who  had  gone  down 
below  with  the  first  mate,  came  up  from  the  cabin,  and 
said  to  the  men,  '  Now,  my  lads,  we'll  set  to  again  ;  *  when 
suddenly  there  was  a  loud,  melancholy  miaw!  which 
terrified  us  all.  We  looked  from  whence  the  sound 
appeared  to  come,  and  there,  on  the  launch  turned  over 
amidship,  we  beheld  the  ghost  of  the  black  tom  cat,  so 
large,  so  black,  with  the  broad  moonlight  shining  on  it ; 
and  so  thin,  it  was  the  skeleton  of  the  cat,  only  it  looked 
as  black  as  ever ;  its  back  was  humped  up  and  its  tail 
curved  j  and  as  it  stood  out  in  the  broad  moonlight,  it  did 
look  twice  as  big  as  the  original  cat,  which  was  the  biggest 
I  ever  saw.  Well,  the  men  actually  screamed ;  they  ran 
aft,  upsetting  the  captain  and  mate,  and  rolling  over  them 
and  hiding  their  faces,  with  *  Lord  have  mercy  on  us  ! ' 
and  *  God  forgive  our  sins  ! '  and  '  Oh  !  we're  lost,  we're 
lost ! '  and  every  sort  of  crying  and  groaning  that  could  be 
thought  of.  At  last,  the  captain  gets  up  from  under  them 
in  a  great  rage  and  looks  forward  to  see  what  was  the 
matter,  and  there  he  sees  the  ghost  of  the  tom  cat  standing 
just  in  the  same  place  ;  and  it  gave  another  miserable  miaw  ! 
*  Why,'  cried  the  captain  (who  had  his  grog  on  board,  and 
was  as  brave  as  brass),  *  it  is  the  cussed  cat  himself.  Stop 
a  moment.'  Down  he  goes  to  the  cabin,  reels  up  the 
hatchway  again  with  his  double-barrelled  gun,  and  let's  fly 
at  it " — (here  Dick  lowered  his  voice  to  almost  a  whisper) 
— "  the  cat  gave  a  shriek — and  then " 


Poor  Jack  171 

Here,  during  the  pause,  Bill  put  out  his  finger  and 
thumb  to  snufF  the  candle,  but  his  hand  shook ;  he  snufFed 
It  out,  and  we  were  all  left  in  darkness.  I  can  hardly 
describe  the  feeling  which  appeared  to  pervade  the  whole 
of  our  party.  Every  one  was  shuffling  and  crowding  with 
their  shoulders,  but  still  no  one  moved  from  his  place. 

**"W"ell,"  said  Dick,  the  narrator,  in  a  quiet  subdued 
voice,  "  why  don't  one  of  you  go  and  fetch  a  light  ? 
Come,  jump  up,  Bill,  you  topped  it  out." 

*•  Ay,  ay,"  replied  Bill,  evidently  shaking,  **  where's 
the  candle  ? " 

*'  Here,"  said  one  of  the  boys,  handing  it  to  him. 

**  Well,  then,  jump  up  yourself,  you  young  whelp, 
you're  younger  than  me  !  " 

"  I  didn't  put  it  out,"  replied  the  boy,  whining. 

"  Up,  immediately,  or  I'll  break  every  rib  in  your 
body,"  replied  Bill. 

The  boy,  who  was  terribly  frightened,  got  up  at  this 
threat,  and  began  to  ascend  the  ladder;  he  was  about 
three  steps  up,  when  we  heard,  from  the  deck,  a  horrible 
tniaw!  the  boy  gave  a  scream  of  terror,  and  fell  down 
on  his  back  among  us  all,  smashing  the  glass  and  flatten- 
ing the  tin  cans  against  the  men's  legs,  who  halloed  with 
pain.  At  last  there  was  a  dead  silence  again,  and  I  could 
plainly  hear  the  loud  throbbing  of  more  than  one  heart. 

"  Come,"  said  Dick  again,  **  what  was  the  fool  frightened 
about  ?  Look  for  the  candle,  some  of  you  ! "  At  last 
Bill  found  it  in  his  breast,  broke  in  two,  and  half-melted 
away,  and  was  proceeding  for  a  light,  when  the  carpenter 
stepped  to  the  hatch  with  his  lantern  and  said,  **Why, 
you're  all  in  the  dark  there,  shipmates  !  Here,  take  my 
lantern."  I  may  as  well  here  observe  that  the  carpenter  had 
been  listening  to  the  story  as  he  sat  by  the  hatchway  on 
deck,  and  it  was  he  who  had  favoured  us  with  the  miaiv 
which  had  so  frightened  the  boy. 

As  soon  as  the  lantern  had  been  received  and  the  candle 
relighted,  Dick  recommenced. 

"Well,  my  lads,  I  said   that  the  captain  went  down 


17?  Poor  Jack 

below,  brought  up  his  gun,  and  let  fly  at  the  cat,  and 
then — well,  and  then — the  cat  gave  a  loud  shriek,  and 
falls  down  upon  the  deck.  The  captain  walks  forward 
to  it,  takes  it  up  by  the  tail,  brings  it  aft,  and  shies  it 
among  the  men. 

"'There,  you  fools,*  said  he,  *it  is  the  cat  himself; 
will  you  believe  your  own  eyes  ?  * 

"And  sure  enough  so  it  was ;  for  you  see,  when  Jim 
tumbled  overboard,  it  being  then  dark,  and  we  so  busy 
with  Jim,  we  did  not  look  after  the  cat,  and  so  it  must 
have  crawled  up  the  cable  and  run  down  into  the  hold, 
while  the  hatches  were  off  j  and  all  that  noise  heard  aft 
must  have  been  the  brute  chasing  the  rats,  I  suppose: 
Jim  may  have  heard,  but  he  could  not  have  seen,  the  cat ; 
that  was  all  fancy  and  fright.  You  know  how  long  a  cat 
will  live  without  much  food,  and  so  the  animal  was  pretty 
quiet  after  it  had  killed  all  the  rats.  Then  when  the  gale 
came  on  and  the  upper  part  of  the  cargo  fetched  way  a 
little,  for  it  was  loosely  stowed,  we  suppose  that  it  got 
jammed  now  and  then  with  the  rolling,  and  that  made  it 
miaw  J  and  then,  when  we  took  off  the  hatches  to  look  at 
the  cargo,  after  we  had  sprung  the  leak,  the  cat  o'  course 
came  out,  and  a  pretty  skeleton  it  was,  as  you  may  suppose. 
Now  do  you  understand  the  whole  of  it  ?  " 

"Yes,  that's  all  clear,"  replied  Bill,  "and  it  was  no 
ghost  after  all ;  but  still  the  cat  did  do  mischief,  for  if  the 
mate  had  not  been  frightened  by  it,  he  wouldn't  have  let 
go  the  wheel,  and  the  masts  would  not  have  gone  by  the 
lee." 

"That's  true  enough,  and  he  might  have  done  more 
mischief  still  if  the  captain  had  not  shot  him;  for  the 
men  would  never  have  gone  to  the  pumps  again;  but 
when  they  found  out  that  it  was  nothing  but  the  cat 
himself,  then  they  set  to,  and  before  the  next  evening 
the  vessel  was  clear,  and  only  required  pumping  out  every 
two  hours,  for  the  leak  wasn't  great,  after  all.  So  there's 
a  ghost  story  for  you,  and  I  believe  that  all  others  will  be 
found,  like  mine,  to  end  in  moonshine.     Now  suppose  we 


Poor  Jack  173 

turn  in,  for  we  shall  weigh  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 

ing." 

We  all  tumbled  into  the  standing  berths  in  the  fore 
peak ;  I  dreamt  of  black  torn  cats  all  night.  The  next 
morning  we  weighed  with  a  fair  wind :  as  before,  I  stood 
beside  Bramble,  who  pointed  out  to  me  everything  worth 
notice  or  memory  as  we  passed ;  but  at  last  the  motion 
affected  me  so  much  that  I  could  pay  little  attention,  and 
I  remained  by  his  side  as  pale  as  a  sheet.  We  rounded 
the  North  Foreland,  and  long  before  dark  anchored  in  the 
Downs.  Bramble  went  no  further  with  the  vessel,  the 
captain  himself  being  a  good  pilot  for  the  Channel.  A 
Deal  boat  came  alongside,  we  got  into  it,  they  landed  us 
on  the  shingle  beach,  and  I  followed  Bramble  up  to  his 
abode. 


Chapter  XXIV 

Bramble's  method  of  education  proves  very  effective.     He  also  points  out 
a  position  in  which  you  may  prefer  your  enemies  to  your  friends. 

'The  house  of  Philip  Bramble  was  situated  on  the  further 
side  of  a  road  which  ran  along  the  shore,  just  above 
the  shingle  beach.  It  was  a  large  cottage  on  one  floor, 
the  street  door  entering  at  once  into  its  only  sitting 
room.  It  was  furnished  as  such  tenements  usually  are, 
with  a  small  dresser  and  shelves  for  crockery,  and  a  table 
and  chairs  of  cherry  wood :  on  the  broad  mantelpiece, 
for  the  fire-place  was  large,  were  several  brass  candle- 
sticks, very  bright,  ranged  with  foreign  curiosities,  and 
a  few  shells ;  half-a-dozen  prints  in  frames  ornamented 
the  walls ;  and  on  large  nails  drove  into  the  panels, 
wherever  a  space  could  be  found,  were  hung  coats,  P- 
jackets,  and  other  articles  of  dress,  all  ready  for  the 
pilot  to  change  whenever  he  came  on  shore  wet  to  the 
skin.  Everything  was  neat  and  clean:  the  planks  of 
the  floor  were  white  as  snow,  yet  the  floor  itself  was 


174  Poor  Jack 

sanded  with  white  sand,  and  there  were  one  or  two 
square  wooden  boxes,  also  filled  with  sand,  for  the  use 
of  those  who  smoked.  When  I  add,  that,  opposite  to 
the  fire-place,  there  was  a  set  of  drawers  of  walnut  wood, 
with  an  escritoire  at  the  top,  upon  the  flat  part  of  which 
were  a  few  books  neatly  arranged,  and  over  it  an  old 
fashioned  looking-glass,  divided  at  the  sides  near  to  the 
frame  into  sections,  I  believe  that  I  have  given  a  catalogue 
of  the  whole  furniture.  When  I  followed  Bramble  into 
the  room,  a  little  girl  of  about  nine  or  ten  years  old  ran 
into  his  arms,  as  he  stooped  down  to  receive  her.  She 
was  a  pretty  child,  with  a  very  fair  skin  and  rosy  cheeks, 
her  hair  and  eyes  of  a  very  dark  brown,  almost  approach- 
ing to  black;  but  she  was  not,  in  my  opinion,  near  so 
pretty  as  my  sister  Virginia.  As  Bramble  kissed  her, 
she  exclaimed,  "  O  father !  I  am  so  glad  you  are  come 
home.  Mrs  Maddox  has  been  in  bed  ever  since  you  left : 
her  leg  is  very  bad  indeed." 

"Whew,"  whistled  Bramble,  "I'm  sorry  to  hear  that 
of  the  old  lady }  and  how  have  you  got  on  without  her 
assistance  ?  " 

"  Why,  don't  you  think  I'm  very  tidy,  father  ? "  said 
she,  looking  round  the  room. 

"  Yes,  Bessy,  you  are  very  tidy ;  and  it's  a  pleasure  to 
come  home  to  a  tidy  clean  house.  Here  is  a  companion  for 
you.     I  told  you  he  was  coming,  and  you  know  his  name." 

"  It's  Tom  Saunders,  isn't  it,  father  }  " 

"  Yes,  that's  his  name,  for  want  of  a  better — so  I  leave 
you  to  make  friends,  while  I  go  up  and  see  the  poor  old 
lady." 

"You  look  cold  and  pale,  are  you  not  well.?"  was 
the  first  question  of  little  Bessy. 

"  I'm  cold,  and  not  very  well,"  replied  I :  *•  I  have 
not  been  used  to  knocking  about  on  board  ship." 

"  Very  true  j  I  forgot  you  had  never  been  at  sea  before. 
Come  to  the  fire,  then,  and  sit  in  father's  big  chair." 

"  I  never  knew  that  your  father  had  been  married.  I 
thought  Peter  Anderson  said  that  he  was  a  bachelor." 


Poor  Jack  175 

**  And  so  he  is,"  replied  Bessy.  "  I'm  not  his  daughter, 
although  I  call  him  father." 

"  Indeed  !  then  whose  daughter  are  you  ?  and  who  is 
the  old  lady  upstairs  ?  " 

**  The  old  lady  upstairs  is  the  widow  of  the  pilot  with 
whom  father  served  his  time.  Her  husband  was  lost  at 
sea,  and  she  keeps  father's  house.  Father  picked  me  up 
at  sea,  and  has  taken  care  of  me  ever  since." 

**  Then  you  don't  remember  your  own  parents  .?  " 

**  No,  I  recollect  nothing,  till  I  found  myself  in  this 
house.  Father  says  I'm  a  Dutchman,  because  it  was  a 
Dutch  ship  or  a  Dutch  boat  which  I  was  taken  out  of." 

**  And  how  long  was  that  ago  ?  " 

**  Nine  years  ago.  I  am  now,  I  believe,  about  ten  years 
old." 

Bessy  then  catechised  me  relative  to  my  own  family,  and 
I  had  not  answered  all  her  questions  when  Bramble  came 
downstairs. 

**  Bessy,  dear,  we  must  have  the  doctor  to  look  at  that 
leg  again.  I'm  afeard  that  it  will  never  get  well.  Missus 
is  too  old  to  shake  it  off." 

"  Shall  I  go  now,  father  ?  '* 

**  Yes,  child,  go  now,  for  she's  in  great  pain  with  it : 
and  Tom,  you  go  with  Bessy,  and  take  care  of  her.  But, 
before  you  go,  give  me  some  'baccy  and  the  odds  and 
ends." 

As  soon  as  Bessy  had  put  the  tobacco  pipes,  some  spirits, 
a  rummer  and  water,  on  the  table,  and  the  spittoon  at  his 
feet,  she  put  on  her  bonnet,  and  off  we  set  to  the  doctor's 
house,  about  half  a  mile  distant.  I  was  soon  on  intimate 
terms  with  Bessy :  there  was  something  so  frank  and 
winning  about  her,  such  perfect  honesty  of  character,  that 
it  was  impossible  not  to  like  her.  We  delivered  our 
message,  returned  home,  and,  being  very  tired,  I  was  glad 
to  go  to  bed.  Bessy  showed  me  my  room,  which  was  very 
comfortable  ;  and  as  soon  as  I  laid  my  head  on  the  pillow, 
I  was  fast  asleep. 

I  was  awakened  the  next  morning,  by  a  knocking  at  the 


176  Poor  Jack 

door,  by  little  Bessy :  it  was  broad  daylight,  and  I  dressed 
myself  and  went  downstairs,  where  I  found  her  very  busy, 
putting  everything  in  order. 

"  It  was  I  knocked,"  said  little  Bessy  :  '*  I  thought  you 
would  like  to  come  and  help  me." 

"  And  so  I  will,"  replied  I :  "  what  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"Oh,  there's  plenty  to  do  now  that  Mrs  Maddox  is  ill, 
and  you  and  father  are  come  back — almost  too  much  for  a 
little  girl  like  me.  "Will  you  go  to  the  pump  and  fetch 
the  pails  full  of  water,  for  they  are  too  heavy  for  me  ?  " 

I  did  as  she  wished.     **  Anything  else,  Bessy  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Oh  yes,  plenty.  You're  very  good-natured,  Tom, 
and  I'm  so  glad  you're  come." 

Bessy  and  I  were  fully  employed  for  nearly  an  hour,  In 
the  front  room  and  kitchen,  clearing  up  and  cleaning  and 
preparing  for  breakfast.  Ail  was  ready  before  Bramble 
came  down  and  took  a  seat  in  his  big  chair,  close  to  the 
breakfast  table. 

*'  All  ready,  father,"  said  little  Bessy,  going  up  to 
Bramble  to  be  kissed.     **  Tom  has  been  helping  me." 

"  All's  right,"  said  Bramble  :  "  bring  the  book,  dear." 

Bessy  brought  a  large  Bible,  and  read  a  chapter  aloud, 
then  closed  it  and  put  it  away. 

"We  can't  always  do  this,  Tom,"  observed  Bramble, 
"  when  we're  knocking  about  in  the  Channel :  all  we  can 
do  is  to  read  it  when  we  can.     Come  now  to  breakfast." 

When  we  had  finished,  I  assisted  Bessy  to  put  every- 
thing away ;  and  then  Bramble  said  to  me,  "  Anderson 
tells  me  you're  a  good  scholar,  Tom  j  but  you  must  now 
learn  what  will  be  of  use  to  me  as  well  as  to  you.  The 
first  thing  you  must  learn,  and  which  you  can  do  on  shore, 
are  the  points  of  the  compass,  to  know  them  at  sight  and 
tell  them  quickly ;  for  you  see  it's  of  great  importance  to 
a  pilot  to  know  exactly  how  a  ship's  head  is  ;  and  the  men 
at  the  helm,  although  good  seamen  and  steering  well,  are 
not  so  ready  at  answering  as  a  pilot  wishes,  and  very  often 
stammer  at  it — sometimes  make  mistakes.  Now  you  see, 
when  I'm  piloting  a  vessel.  If  you  stand  at  the  binnacle, 


Poor  Jack  177 

watch  the  compass,  and  answer  me  quickly  how  the  ship's 
head  is,  you'll  be  of  use  to  me  in  a  very  short  time.  Go 
up  into  my  room,  and  under  the  bed  you  will  find  a  com- 
pass ;  bring  it  down  carefully,  and  I'll  give  you  a  lesson  at 
once."  I  brought  the  compass  to  him,  and  Bramble  made 
me  write  down  the  whole  thirty-two  points  at  full  length 
upon  a  piece  of  paper.  When  I  had  done  so,  he  told  me  I 
must  learn  them  by  heart  as  fast  as  I  could. 

I  studied  them  the  whole  of  that  day ;  and  in  the  even- 
ing, finding  myself  perfect,  I  went  up  to  Bramble  and 
repeated  them  without  one  mistake. 

"  All's  right,"  said  Bramble.  "  Now,  Tom,  give  me 
the  paper  :  if  you  know  them  to-night,  you  ought  to  know 
them  to-morrow  morning.  I'll  hear  if  you  do,  after 
breakfast." 

I  went  to  bed,  was  tapped  up  as  before  by  Bessy, 
assisted  her  to  clean  everything,  taking  ofF  her  hands  all 
the  heaviest  of  the  work ;  indeed,  what  I  have  narrated  of 
the  first  day  may  be  taken  as  a  sample  of  my  life  on  shore, 
at  Deal.  After  breakfast  I  repeated  the  points  of  the 
compass  correctly. 

"  Well,  Tom,  you  have  a  good  memory,  that*s  certain  : 
all  the  better  for  you ;  for  pilots  carry  everything  in  their 
heads,  as  you  will  find  out.  Now  then,  look  here : " 
Bramble  took  the  glass  off  the  top  of  the  compass-box, 
lifted  up  the  card,  and  then  showed  me  the  needle  below, 
which  pointed  to  the  north.  He  then  showed  me  the 
north  point  above,  and  then  the  other  points,  making  me 
repeat  them  as  he  put  his  finger  on  them.  As  soon  as  I 
understood  them,  he  would  put  the  stem  of  his  pipe  to 
one,  and  ask  me  which  it  was.  When  I  was  perfect  with 
the  points,  he  explained  the  half  points  and  quarter  points. 
In  two  days  I  had  gained  them  all  by  heart. 

"  And  now,"  says  he,  **  we  must  try  you.  This  iron 
skewer  is  the  ship's  head,  recollect,  and  I  shall  stick  it  into 
the  table :  when  I  do  so,  you  must  tell  me  what  point  of 
the  compass  stands  to  it,  and  then  that  will  be  the  direc- 
tion of  the  ship's  head.     Do  you  understand  ?     Practice 

P.J.  M 


178  Poor  Jack 

makes  perfect,  and  you  must  work  at  this  all  the  time  that 
you  are  ashore.  When  you  know  the  compass  well,  then 
I'll  teach  you  something  else.  Now,  then,  how's  her  head, 
Tom?" 

"  North-half-west,"  said  I,  after  a  little  time. 

"  Yes,  very  true ;  but  you  see,  Tom,  that  wouldn't  do 
aboard  ship;  that's  just  the  way  most  of  the  seamen  would 
puzzle  at  it.  I  must  have  the  answer  in  a  moment,  and 
that's  why  you  must  practise." 

In  the  evening,  when  Bramble  was  smoking  his  pipe,  I 
was  seated  by  him;  and  every  minute  he  would  change 
the  place  of  the  iron  skewer,  with  "  How's  her  head, 
Tom?" 

"We  must  get  your  prentice  papers  signed  before  we 
go  afloat  again,"  said  Bramble ;  "  for  they  pick  up  boys 
as  well  as  men  for .  the  king's  service,  and  you're  a  stout 
boy  for  your  age." 

"Were  you  ever  pressed,  yourself?"  inquired  I. 

"  No,  but  I  had  a  narrow  chance  once ;  and  had  not  our 
captain  been  a  smart  fellow,  I  and  many  more  would  have 
been  serving  the  king  at  this  present  moment." 

"  Tell  me  how  that  was,"  said  I. 

"Well,  as  soon  as  Bessy  has  done  rattling  with  the  cups 
and  saucers,  I  will." 

"  I've  done  now,  father,"  said  Bessy,  taking  her  seat  on 
a  stool  close  to  Bramble's  feet. 

"  Well,  then,  before  I  passed  for  pilot,  just  after  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  I  took  it  into  my  head  to  try  my 
chance  at  privateering — there  was  plenty  to  pick  up  at  that 
time,  and  some  of  the  Deal  men  had  been  very  fortunate 
— so  I  went  on  board  of  a  I2-gun  lugger,  commanded  by 
Captain  Shank,  fitted  out  in  the  river,  with  a  crew  of  sixty 
men.  The  press  was  very  hot  at  that  time,  and  our  men 
were  kept  at  the  crimps'  houses  until  all  was  ready,  when 
we  started,  and  got  off  clear  into  the  Channel  without  being 
overhauled. 

"  We  had  been  out  a  fortnight,  keeping  well  on  the 
French  coast,  and  had  picked  up  two  good  prizes,  when 


Poor  Jack  179 

one  morning,  as  the  fog  was  cleared  up  with  a  sharp 
northerly  wind,  we  found  ourselves  right  under  the  lee  of 
an  English  frigate,  not  a  mile  from  us.  There  was  a 
bubble  of  a  sea,  for  the  wind  had  been  against  the  tide 
previous  to  its  changing,  and  we  were  then  about  six  or 
seven  miles  from  the  French  coast,  just  between  Boulogne 
and  Cape  Grisnez,  lying  to  for  the  fog  to  clear  away. 
As  soon  as  we  saw  the  frigate,  we  knew  that  she 
would  board  us,  and  we  were  all  in  a  terrible 
fright." 

Here  Bramble  shifted  the  skewer,  and  said,  "  How's  her 
head,  Tom  ? "  I  replied ;  and  he  proceeded  : — 

"  The  frigate  hoisted  her  colours,  and  of  course  we  did 
the  same  j  she  then  fired  a  gun  as  a  signal  for  us  to  remain 
hove-to,  and  we  perceived  her  boats  lowering  down. 
*  Now,  my  lads,'  said  our  captain,  *  if  you  don't  mind  a 
shot  or  two,  I  think  I  will  save  you  from  impressment  this 
time.'  We  all  declared  that  we  would  stand  a  hundred, 
rather  than  be  taken  on  board  of  a  man-of-war.  '  Very 
well,'  says  he — '  starboard  a  little,  and  keep  her  a  little 
away,  so  as  to  let  her  go  through  the  water  ;  but  keep  the 
foresheet  to  windward,  so  that  we  may  appear  only  to 
have  fallen  off.'  By  this  plan  we  gradually  increased  our 
distance  from  the  frigate,  and  got  more  on  her  bow.  All 
this  while  the  boat  was  pulling  towards  us,  rising  and 
tossing  on  the  sea,  but  still  nearing  us  fast.  As  she  came 
nearer  to  us,  we  let  the  lugger  come  up  in  the  wind  again 
for  a  short  time,  that  we  might  not  appear  to  be  dodging 
away  •,  and  then,  when  the  bowman  was  almost  ready  to 
lay  in  his  oar,  away  we  let  her  go  through  the  water,  so 
that  she  was  left  astern  again.  They  could  not  well  per- 
ceive this  on  board  of  the  frigate,  although  the  officer  in 
the  boat  was  very  savage ;  for  at  one  time  he  had  his  bow 
oar  in,  and  his  boat-hook  out.  At  last  the  frigate,  per- 
ceiving that  we  were  apparently  slipping  away,  put  her 
helm  up,  and  fired  a  shot  across  our  bows.  *  Now's  your 
time,  my  boys,'  said  the  captain ;  *  let  draw  the  sheets,  the 
breeze  is  strong  j  she  must  wait  to  pick  up  her  boat,  and 


i8o  Poor  Jack 

that  will  give  us  a  mile  at  least.'  Up  went  the  helm,  and 
we  made  ail  sail  right  for  the  French  coast. — How's  her 
head,  Tom  ? "     I  replied  j  and  Bramble  resumed  : — 

"  The  frigate  ran  down  to  her  boat,  and  then  rounded 
to,  to  hoist  it  up :  the  sea  was  heavy,  and  she  was  delayed 
a  minute  or  two,  although,  to  do  them  justice,  they  were 
very  smart  on  board  of  her.  As  soon  as  the  boat  was 
up,  she  made  all  sail,  and  came  foaming  after  us,  as  if  she 
were  in  as  great  a  rage  as  the  captain  and  those  on  board 
of  her.  Every  now  and  then  she  yawed  to  throw  a  shot 
at  us  from  her  bow-chasers ;  but  that  we  didn't  mind, 
as  the  yawing  checked  her  way,  and  it's  not  very  easy  to 
hit  a  low  vessel  like  a  lugger  in  a  toppling  sea.  Well, 
very  soon  we  were  not  four  miles  from  the  French  coast, 
so  we  hauled  down  our  English  colours  and  hoisted  French. 
The  frigate  gained  on  us  very  fast ;  but  we  continued  to 
steer  on,  and  she  in  pursuit,  until  we  were  within  gun-shot 
of  the  batteries.  What  the  Frenchmen  thought,  we  did 
not  know ;  at  all  events  they  did  not  fire ;  and  we  steered 
right  on  as  if  we  were  chased,  and  the  frigate  followed 
after  us,  until  we  were  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the 
batteries,  when  the  frigate  thought  proper  to  haul  her 
wind ;  then  the  battery  opened  upon  her,  and  we  could 
see  that  she  was  hulled  more  than  once ;  and  as  she  kept 
her  wind  along  the  shore,  the  other  batteries  opened  upon 
her,  and  she  got  a  good  mauling.  We  saw  her  shift  her 
fore-topsail  yard  as  soon  as  she  went  about  again,  and  we 
afterwards  heard  that  she  had  several  men  hurt,  which 
was  a  pity." 

"And  did  not  the  batteries  fire  upon  you  f" 
"  No,  for  we  kept  the  French  colours  up,  and  hove-to 
within  a  mile  of  the  coast.  It  was  a  lee-shore,  and  there 
was  too  much  surf  and  sea  for  them  to  send  off  a  boat 
and  ascertain  whether  we  were  a  French  privateer  or  not ; 
so  there  we  lay  till  dusk,  and  then  made  sail  again,  and, 
being  so  close  into  the  French  shore,  we  picked  up  a  good 
prize  that  very  night.  When  the  cruise  was  over,  I  was 
satisfied.     I  got  my  prize-money  5    and    then,  as  I  knew 


Poor  Jack  i8i 

our  own  coast  well,  I  passed  for  pilot,  and  have  served 
as  one  ever  since. — How's  her  head,  Tom  ?  " 

"  S.W.  almost." 

"S.W.  almost  won't  do,  Tom.  It's  not  quite  S.W., 
quarter-south;  so  you  must  say  S.W.  southerly.  D'ye 
understand  .'* " 

When  Bessy  knocked  at  my  door  the  next  morning, 
she  cried  out,  laughing,  "  How's  her  head,  Tom  ? "  and 
those  words  made  me  jump  up  like  lightning. 


Chapter   XXV 

In  which  Bramble  points  out  to  me  that  singing  is  part  of  the  profession 
of  a  pilot. 

In  about  a  fortnight  from  the  time  that  Bramble  commenced 
his  tuition,  I  was  quite  perfect  with  the  compass :  his 
method  certainly  was  very  good,  for,  by  such  reiterated 
catechising,  what  you  had  to  learn  was  graven  on  your 
memory.  All  day  long  the  same  system  was  pursued. 
Even  if  dinner  was  on  the  table,  the  compass  was  on  a 
ehair  close  by  j  and  as  I  was  putting  my  fork  to  my  mouth, 
much  to  Bessy's  amusement,  out  would  come  the  question, 
*'  How's  her  head,  Tom  ? "  Bramble  soon  gained  his 
point :  I  could  answer  like  lightning.  But  whether  I  was 
by  the  fire  in-doors,  or  on  the  shingle  beach,  his  system 
was  ever  the  same :  every  time  that  Bramble  opened  his 
lips,  I  gained  some  information — he  was  never  wearying, 
and  often  very  amusing. 

One  morning  we  were  out  on  the  beach — we  had  been 
conversing  with  the  other  pilots,  and  examining  the  vessels 
in  the  offing  with  my  glass — when  he  pointed  out  to  me, 
it  being  low  neap  tide,  that  the  Godwin  Sands  were 
partially  dry.  "  Tom,"  continued  he,  "  of  all  the  dangers, 
not  only  of  the  Channel,  but  in  the  wide  ocean,  there  is 
none  to  be  compared  with  those  sands  : — the  lives  that 
have   been   lost   on   them,   the   vessels    that    have    been 


1 82  Poor  Jack 

wrecked,  and  the  property  that  has  been  sucked  Into  them, 
would  be  a  dozen  kings'  ransoms  ;  for  you  see,  Tom,  they 
are  quicksands,  and  the  vessel  which  goes  on  shore  does 
not  remain  to  be  broken  up,  but  in  two  tides  she  disappears, 
sinking  down  into  the  sands,  which  never  give  her  or  her 
cargo  up  again.  There  must  be  a  mighty  deal  of  wealth 
buried  there,  that  is  certain.  They  say  that  once  they 
were  a  flourishing  fertile  island,  belonging  to  an  Earl 
Godwin,  whose  name  they  now  bear ;  it  may  be  so — the 
sea  retreats  from  one  place  while  it  advances  at  another. 
Look  at  Romney  marshes,  where  so  many  thousands  of 
sheep  are  now  fed ;  they  run  up  many  miles  inland ;  and 
yet  formerly  those  very  marshes  were  an  arm  of  the  sea, 
where  vessels  rode  in  deep  water,  and  sea-fights,  I  am 
told,  took  place.  Howsomever,  when  the  sea  took  the 
Godwin  island  to  itself,  it  made  the  best  trap  for  vessels 
that  old  Neptune  now  possesses,  and  he  may  consider  it  as 
the  most  productive  spot  in  his  dominions.  Lord  help  us  ! 
what  a  deal  of  gold  and  merchandise  must  there  be  buried 
below  yon  yellow  patch  !  " 

*'  Do  you  never  save  anything  when  vessels  are  run  on 
shore  there  ? " 

'*  When  they  only  tail  on,  we  occasionally  get  them  off 
again ;  but  when  once  fixed,  there's  an  end  of  it.  Yes, 
we  save  life  occasionally,  but  at  great  risk  of  our  own.  I 
saved  little  Bessy  from  a  vessel  ashore  on  these  sands." 

"  Indeed  !  pray  tell  me  how  it  was." 

"  Why  you  see,  Tom,  it  was  just  at  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war.  It  was  in  this  very  month  of  October,  '93,  that 
I  was  out  in  a  galley,  with  some  others,  looking  for  vessels, 
I  had  just  then  left  off  privateering,  and  got  my  warrant 
as  pilot  (for  you  know  I  did  serve  my  prenticeship  before 
I  went  a-privateering,  as  I  told  you  the  other  night). 
Well,  it  was  a  blowing  night,  and  we  were  running  in  for 
the  Downs,  intending  to  beach  the  galley  and  sleep  on 
shore,  for  we  had  been  out  five  days,  and  only  put  a  pilot 
on  board  of  one  vessel.  We  were  just  to  windward  of 
the  Sands,  out  there,  where  I  am  now  pointing  :  the  sea 


Poor  Jack  183 

was  very  rough,  but  the  night  was  clear,  and  the  moon 
shone  bright,  when  we  saw  a  brig  running  down  before 
the  wind,  under  foresail  and  close-reefed  topsails.  *  Why, 
Bill,  as  she  steers  she'll  be  right  between  the  Callipers,' 
said  I  to  the  man  sitting  by  me.  *  There's  no  mistake 
about  that,'  replied  he  :  '  let's  haul  the  fore  sheet  to  wind- 
ward, and  lay  to,  to  hail  him  j  he's  coming  right  down 
upon  us.'  Well,  we  did  so,  and  we  hailed  some  time 
without  any  answer.  At  last  a  man  looked  over  the 
gunnel,  just  as  she  was  flying  past  us,  and  told  us  in 
Dutch  to  go  to  the  devil.  '  I  think  you'll  go  there  if  you 
don't  look  sharp,'  replied  Bill.  *  Come,  my  lads,  we  may 
as  well  follow  her,  and  see  if  we  cannot  prevent  mischief.' 
So  we  bore  up  after  her,  and  hailed  her  several  times,  for 
we  sailed  very  fast,  and  there  was  a  scuffling  on  deck  :  I 
think  that  the  captain  was  drunk.  All  this  passed  in  less 
than  five  minutes  j  and  then,  as  I  knew  would  be  the  case, 
she  struck  on  the  sands,  and  with  such  force,  that  all  her 
masts  went  over  the  side  immediately.  Now  the  sea  rolls 
awfully  over  the  shallow  water  of  those  sands,  Tom.  We 
had  kept  with  her  as  far  as  we  dared,  and  then  hove-to 
about  two  cables'  lengths  to  windward  of  her,  when  she 
struck,  for  the  ebb  was  still  running  strong  under  our  lee, 
which  only  made  the  sea  more  cross  and  heavy.  The 
waves  made  a  clean  breach  over  her,  and  we  knew  that 
she  would  go  to  pieces  in  less  than  half  an  hour ;  but  we 
did  not  like  to  leave  so  many  to  perish,  without  a  trial  to 
save  them :  so  we  kept  away,  so  as  to  get  abreast  of  them, 
and  then  lowered  our  sails  and  got  out  our  oars.  We 
pulled  close  to  them,  but  it  was  impossible  to  board  :  we 
should  have  been  stove  to  pieces,  and  swamped  immed- 
iately. The  moon  still  shone  bright,  and  we  saw  them  as 
plain  as  we  could  wish,  and  we  made  every  attempt  to 
save  them,  for  they  were  all  crowded  together  forward. 
Once  the  sea  drove  the  boat  so  close  that  we  touched  her 
sides,  and  then  a  woman  pressed  before  the  men,  and 
reached  over  the  gunnel,  extending  her  arms  which  held 
the  child,  while  several  others  attempted  to  get  in,  but  the 


184  Poor  Jack 

return  of  the  wave  carried  us  back  so  quick  from  the 
vessel,  that,  as  they  attempted  to  jump  in,  they  all  went 
to  the  water,  and  never  appeared  again  ;  but  I  had  caught 
hold  of  the  child,  and  laid  it  down  in  the  stern-sheets. 
"We  made  a  second  and  third  attempt,  but  in  vain.  At 
last  the  vessel  broke  up,  as  it  were,  all  at  once : — there 
was  one  loud  cry,  and  all  was  still,  except  the  roaring  and 
breaking  waves  which  buried  them.  It  wasn't  a  scene  to 
make  us  very  lively,  Tom  :  we  hoisted  the  sail,  and  ran  on 
to  the  beach  in  silence.  I  took  the  child  in  my  arms — it 
had  been  snatched  out  of  its  warm  bed,  poor  thing,  and 
had  nothing  on  but  a  calico  nightgown.  I  took  it  up  to  the 
cottage,  which  was  then  Maddox's  (I  bought  it  afterwards 
of  the  widow  with  the  money  I  made  a-privateering),  and 
I  gave  it  in  charge  to  Mrs  Maddox.  I  did  intend  to  have 
sent  it  to  the  workhouse,  or  something  of  that  sort ;  but 
Mrs  Maddox  took  a  fancy  to  it,  and  so  did  I,  and  so  I 
thought  I  would  take  care  of  it,  and  I  christened  it  by  the 
name  of  Betsy  Godwin." 

"  You  have  no  idea  who  she  may  be  ?  " 

"Not  half  a  onej  her  cotton  gown  and  cap  told  nothings 
the  vessel  was  Dutch,  that's  all  I  know.  She  may  be  the 
child  of  the  stadtholder,  or  the  child  of  the  ship's  cook. 
What's  the  matter  ? " 

"  But  did  you  notice  any  marks  upon  her  person  by 
which  she  might  be  reclaimed  ? " 

**  Not  I.  I  only  axed  Mrs  Maddox  whether  it  were  a 
boy  or  a  girl." 

"How  old  was  she  then  ?  " 

**  Well,  how  can  I  tell  ?  that's  not  in  my  way,  but  the 
knowing  ones  in  these  matters  said  that  she  must  be  about 
eighteen  months  old,  so  we  have  taken  that  for  a  departure 
as  to  her  age.  I  love  her  now  as  if  she  were  my  own 
child ;  and  so  will  you,  Tom,  like  a  sister,  when  you 
know  her.  She  calls  me  her  father,  and  you  may  do  the 
same,  Tom,  if  you  like,  for  I  will  be  as  good  as  a  father 
to  you,  if  you  are  as  good  a  boy  as  you  now  seem  to  be. 
I  like  to  be  called  father,  somehow  or  another — it  sounds 


Poor  Jack  185 

pleasant  to  my  ears ;  but  come  in  now,  I  think  you  have 
compassed  the  compass,  so  you  must  learn  something  else." 

"  There  is  another  way,  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  as  he 
seated  himself  in  his  large  chair,  "  in  which  a  smart 
prentice  may  be  useful  to  his  master  j  and  it  is  of  quite 
as  much  importance  as  the  compass — which  is  in  heaving 
the  lead.  You  see,  Tom,  the  exact  soundings  being  known 
will  often  enable  a  pilot  to  run  over  the  tail  of  a  bank 
and  save  a  tide ;  that  is,  when  he  knows  that  he  can  trust 
the  man  in  the  chains.  Some  seamen  are  very  particular 
in  giving  exact  soundings,  but  all  are  not :  they  care  more 
for  the  song  than  they  do  for  anything  else,  and  though 
the  song  is  very  musical,  yet  it  won't  get  a  ship  off  when 
she's  on  shore.  Now,  two-thirds  of  the  seamen  who  are 
sent  in  the  chains,  will  not  give  the  soundings  within  half 
a  fathom,  and,  moreover,  they  do  not  give  them  quick 
enough  for  the  pilot  in  many  cases  j  if,  therefore,  you 
learn  to  heave  the  lead  well,  be  correct  in  your  soundings, 
and  quick  in  giving  them,  you  will  become  of  great  use  to 
me.     You  understand,  don't  you  ?  '* 

"  Yes,"  replied  I. 

"  Well,  go  up  into  my  room,  and  hanging  on  the  nail 
behind  the  door  you  will  see  a  lead  line — bring  it  me 
down  here." 

I  did  so,  and  then  Bramble  explained  to  me  how  the 
fathoms  were  marked  on  the  line  j  and  how  the  soundings 
were  given  out. 

**  You  see,"  said  he,  "  wherever  there  is  a  mark  with 
a  piece  of  leather  or  bunting,  whether  it  be  white  or  red, 
it  is  called  a  mark  -,  and  if  you  had  five  fathoms  of  water, 
you  would  cry  out  by  the  mark  five  ;  but  at  the  other 
depths  there  are  no  marks,  but  so  many  knots  tied  as  there 
are  fathoms,  as  here  at  nine  j  and  then  you  would  say  by 
the  deep  nine.  Now  run  the  line  through  your  hand,  and 
see  if  you  can  repeat  the  marks  and  deeps  as  they  pass." 

I  did  so. 

"  Very  well.  Now  for  the  song,  for  there  is  a  sort  of 
tune  to  it."     Bramble  then  again  passed  the  line  through 


1 86  Poor  Jack 

his  hands,  giving  the  song  to  each  fathom,  half-fathom, 
and  quarter-fathom,  and  making  me  sing  them  after  him, 
after  which  I  had  to  repeat  them  by  myself.  The  next 
day  he  took  out  the  marks  and  knots  from  the  whole  line, 
and,  giving  me  a  two-feet  rule  to  remeasure  it,  made  me 
put  them  all  in  again.  This  I  had  to  repeat  three  or  four 
times.  By  this  plan  they  were  fully  impressed  on  my 
memory ;  and  as  for  the  song,  he  made  me  sing  it  almost 
every  half-hour  for  three  or  four  days,  Bessy  generally 
repeating,  in  her  clear  voice,  from  the  back-kitchen,  or 
upstairs,  **  and  a  quarter  seven — by  the  deep  nine." 

On  the  fourth  day  Bramble  said,  "  Well,  Tom,  I  think 
both  you  and  Bessy  may  leave  off  singing  now.  You 
have  yet  to  learn  the  most  important  part,  which  is  to 
heave  the  lead ;  but  we  must  wait  till  we  get  on  board  of 
a  vessel  for  that.  Observe,  Tom,  it's  all  very  well  singing 
when  you've  plenty  of  water,  and  I  like  it,  for  it  sounds 
musical  and  pleasant  to  the  ear  ;  but  in  shallow  water  the 
pilot's  answer  must  be  much  shorter  and  quicker,  as  you  will 
find  out  by-and-bye." 

Chapter  XXVI 

In  which  I  go  afloat,  and  obtain  some  knowledge  of  the  English  Channel. 

It  may  be  as  well  here  to  remark,  that  the  system  of 
pilotage  is  different  now  from  what  it  used  to  be  at  the 
period  of  which  I  am  writing.  The  Cinque  Port  pilots 
now  carry  vessels  from  the  Downs  to  the  River,  and  from 
the  River  to  the  Downs  :  their  pilotage  extends  no  further. 
Vessels  seldom  require  pilots  for  the  Channel,  and  do  not 
take  them  unless  they  are  bound  to  some  port  in  the 
Channel  with  which  they  are  unacquainted,  and  those 
pilots  who  ply  in  the  Channel  are  termed  Hoblers ;  but 
at  the  time  I  refer  to,  the  regular  pilots  used  to  go  out  in 
their  galleys  to  the  chaps  of  the  Channel,  and  take  charge 
of  vessels  all  the  way  up ;  which,  by  the  new  regulations, 
they  do  not  do.     The  arrangements  for  pilotage  have  been 


Poor  Jack  187 

much  improved  of  late  years,  and  those  employed  are  better 
qualified. 

I  had  remained  at  Deal  about  three  weeks,  when  an 
outward-bound  Indiaman  anchored  in  the  Downs :  her 
pilot  came  on  shore,  and  she  made  the  signal  for  another. 
It  was  Bramble's  turn — a  galley  was  launched,  and  we 
went  on  board. 

The  ship  was  bound  to  Plymouth,  from  whence  she  was 
to  sail  with  convoy  to  a  certain  latitude.  The  weather  was 
now  fine  and  frosty,  and  we  made  sail  when  the  tide  served. 
As  soon  as  we  were  fairly  out  in  the  Channel,  Bramble 
went  with  me  into  the  main-chains,  and  showed  me  how 
to  heave  the  lead.  After  several  attempts,  in  which  I 
sometimes  would  hit  the  spare  topsail  yard  upon  which 
I  stood,  sometimes  would  nearly  break  my  own  head,  and 
once  contrived  to  throw  the  lead  over  the  hammock  rails 
in  board,  I  succeeded  in  getting  it  round  over  my  head ; 
and  when  I  had  once  gained  that  point,  I  made  fewer 
mistakes.  In  two  days  we  arrived  at  Plymouth  j  and  as 
Bramble  kept  me  at  it  till  my  arms  ached,  nearly  half  the 
day,  I  could  by  that  time  heave  the  lead  pretty  fairly,  that 
is  to  say,  without  danger  to  myself  or  other  people.  The 
day  after  we  arrived  at  Plymouth,  we  got  into  a  pilot  boat, 
and  went  out  in  search  of  employment,  which  we  soon 
found,  and  we  continued  chiefly  taking  vessels  up  to 
Portsmouth  and  down  to  Plymouth,  or  clear  of  soundings, 
for  some  time.  During  this  time,  my  practice  at  the  lead 
was  incessant,  and  I  became  very  perfect.  When  I  was 
not  at  the  lead.  Bramble  would  make  me  stand  at  the 
binnacle  and  watch  the  compass,  so  that,  by  the  time  we 
arrived  at  Deal  again,  I  was  pretty  competent  in  those 
two  branches  of  my  art,  except  that,  having  practised  the 
lead  mostly  in  deep  water,  I  had  not  acquired  accuracy 
and  expedition  in  giving  the  soundings.  But  I  learnt  a 
great  deal  more  of  my  profession  ;  Bramble  explaining  to 
me  the  sails,  rigging,  and  names  and  uses  of  the  ropes,  and 
the  various  manoeuvres  practised,  all  of  which  he  would 
catechise  me  in  afterwards,  to  ascertain  if  I  was  perfect. 


1 88  Poor  Jack 

and  had  remembered  what  he  told  me.  I  was,  therefore, 
under  excellent  tuition.  Whatever  port  we  entered, 
Bramble  would  point  out  the  landmarks  to  me,  state  the 
distances  from  point  to  point,  and  the  dangers  to  be 
avoided.  These  I  could  not  so  well  retain  perfectly,  and 
required  occasional  reminding,  but  altogether  I  gave  him 
satisfaction.  It  was  on  New  Year's  day,  1 800,  that  we 
boarded  a  large  homeward  bound  Indiaman,  which  had 
just  struck  soundings.  She  was  a  thousand  ton  ship,  with 
a  rich  cargo  of  tea  on  board,  and  full  of  passengers,  besides 
more  than  one  hundred  invalids  from  the  regiments  out 
there,  who  had  been  sent  home  under  the  charge  of  two 
officers. 

What  a  difference  there  appeared  to  me  to  be  between 
the  Indiaman  going  out  and  this  one  coming  home  :  the  first 
so  neat  and  clean  in  her  decks,  and  this  so  crowded  and  so 
weatherworn  by  her  long  voyage.  What  with  troops  in 
old  jackets,  which  had  once  been  scarlet,  Lascars  with  their 
curly  black  hair,  and  dark  handsome  features,  yellow  men, 
sickly  women,  and  half-cast  children,  with  their  Hindoo 
Ayahs,  tigers,  lions,  turtles,  cows,  sheep,  goats,  and  pigs, 
on  the  booms  and  main-deck,  the  vessel  was  in  a  strange 
motley  of  confusion. 

As  soon  as  we  were  put  on  board,  the  captain,  officers, 
and  passengers  crowded  round  to  inquire  the  news. 
Bramble,  according  to  pilot  custom,  had  brought  off  one  or 
two  late  Plymouth  papers  (one  of  which,  I  recollect,  gave 
the  account  of  the  cutting  out  of  the  Hermione  by  Captain 
Hamilton)  ;  but  the  people  on  board  were  eight  months 
behind  hand  at  least  as  regarded  what  had  passed  :  they  had 
not  even  heard  of  Sir  Sydney's  Smith's  defence  of  Acre 
against  Bonaparte,  or  anything  else  which  had  subsequently 
occurred ;  so  that  as  soon  as  Bramble  had  taken  charge, 
and  put  the  ship's  head  the  right  course  (for  the  wind  was 
fair),  there  was  no  end  to  question  and  answer.  And  while 
Bramble  was  questioned  by  the  captain  and  passengers,  I 
was  attacked  by  the  midshipmen,  or  Guinea  pigs,  as  they 
are  called.     Having  a  fair  wind  we  ran  right  for  the  Downs, 


Poor  Jack  189 

where  we  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day.  Here 
the  purser  of  the  ship  went  on  shore  with  his  despatches, 
and  the  ship  anchored  to  await  orders,  by  the  next  post,  to 
go  up  the  river. 

"  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  as  the  vessel  anchored,  **  I  cannot 
quit  the  ship,  but  you  may ;  so  just  get  on  shore  in  one  of 
the  boats,  and  see  how  little  Bessy  is,  and  poor  old  Mrs 
Maddox's  leg  ;  and,  Tom,  take  our  dirty  linen  on  shore  and 
bring  off  clean." 

I  was  glad  enough  to  obey  his  orders,  for  I  was  very 
anxious  to  see  dear  little  Bessy  again ;  so  I  dropped  into  a 
boat  that  was  going  on  shore  for  fresh  beef,  taking  with 
me  two  or  three  little  presents  for  Bessy,  out  of  the  many 
which  I  had  received  when  on  board ;  for  the  officers  and 
men  were  very  kind  to  me,  and  had  given  me  many  things, 
which  they  did  not  value,  but  which  I  did  very  much,  as 
they  were  quite  new  to  me. 

The  custom  officers  at  Deal  were  not  very  particular  at 
that  time.  I  was  not  searched ;  and  arrived  at  the  cottage, 
where  I  found  Bessy  sitting  at  her  needle  :  she  threw  down 
her  work  and  ran  to  me,  and  as  I  kissed  her  the  tears  ran 
down  her  cheeks. 

"Where  is  father,  Tom?  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you  ;  but 
where  is  father  ?  I've  been  so  frightened,  the  winter  has 
been  so  rough." 

"  He's  on  board  of  the  Indiaman,  but  being  in  charge  he 
cannot  come  on  shore,  so  he  sent  me." 

"  Oh !  I'm  so  glad — you  have  been  away  so  long  ;  and 
we  have  had  nothing  but  gales  of  wind  ;  and  do  you  know 
that  "Williams  and  Steers  are  both  drowned  ? " 

*'  No,  indeed,  we  know  nothing ;  but  father  will  be  sorry 
to  hear  of  it,  for  they  were  friends  of  his." 

"Well,  Tom,  it's  not  fair  to  leave  a  little  girl  like  me 
alone  here,  for  Mrs  Maddox  has  kept  her  bed  ever  since 
you  left.  Her  leg  is  better,  but  she  has  pains  in  her  limbs, 
and  groans  so  all  night,  and  here  I  am  left  by  myself,  to 
hear  her  groan  and  the  wind  roar." 

Here  Bessy  began  to  cry,  and  I  to  console  her  as  well  as  I 


190  Poor  Jack 

could,  although  I  did  feel  that  it  was  hard  that  such  a  child 
should  be  left  so  lonely.  The  presents  I  brought  her  made 
her  wipe  away  her  tears,  and  she  was  very  soon  as  lively 
and  joyous  as  ever. 

"  I  heard  father  say,  Bessy  "  (I  always  called  Bramble 
my  father,  as  he  had  said  I  might),  **  that  he  had  picked  up 
something  this  winter,  for  he  has  had  none  but  heavy 
vessels  j  and  you  know  pilotage  is  paid  by  the  draught  of 
water." 

**  Well,  he  may  have  made  money,  but  I'm  sure  we 
haven't  spent  any  to  matter  ;  for  I  have  hardly  been  once 
a  week  to  Mrs  Maddox  for  money  since  you  have  gone. 
She  eats  hardly  anything,  and  I  can't  eat  my  meals,  when 
I'm  alone  down  here.  Will  father  come  home  after  he  has 
been  up  the  river  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Bessy,  he  said  that  we  should  take  a  spell  on 
shore." 

"Tom,  don't  you  think  I  might  go  on  board  and  see 
him  for  half  an  hour  ?  " 

*'  Yes,  I  don't  see  why  not :  speak  to  Mrs  Maddox." 

Bessy  ran  upstairs,  and  came  down  with  the  required 
permission,  provided  a  neighbour's  girl  would  remain  in 
the  house,  and  that  she  went  under  my  escort.  Her 
bonnet  was  soon  on,  and  we  obtained  a  passage  in  one  of 
the  Indiaman's  boats  whif  h  was  shoving  ofF,  for  the  water 
was  quite  smooth,  and  the  ship's  boats  could  lie  on  the 
shingle  without  difficulty.  The  officer  took  Bessy  under 
his  boat  cloak,  and  we  were  soon  on  board.  Bramble  was 
not  on  deck  at  the  time,  and  when  I  went  down  to  look 
for  him,  Bessy  remained  on  the  quarter-deck  in  admiration 
of  all  she  saw.  But  Bramble  was  not  below  as  I  supposed : 
he  had  gone  into  the  cuddy  with  the  captain ;  and  when  he 
came  out,  his  first  knowledge  of  Bessy's  being  on  board 
was  being  embraced  by  the  waist  with  her  little  arms. 

"  Why,  Bessy,  my  child  !  "  said  Bramble,  just  as  I  re- 
turned on  deck.  **  This  is  Master  Tom's  doing,"  continued 
he,  kissing  her  j  "  so  you  have  come  to  see  your 
father.?" 


Poor  Jack  191 

**  "Why,  you  would  not  come  on  shore  to  see  me,  father," 
said  Bessy,  as  Bramble  took  her  up  and  kissed  her  again. 
,    "Well,  Tom,  have  you  brought  the  clean  things  ?" 
..    **  No,  I  must  go  on  shore  again  with  Bessy,  father." 

**  Very  true,  so  you  must." 

Bessy  was  taken  much  notice  of  by  the  captain  and  all 
on  board.  No  wonder ;  her  fair  skin,  and  clear  transparent 
red  and  white,  were  in  such  contrast  with  the  bilious- 
looking  passengers,  that  she  appeared  as  if  she  was  not  of 
the  same  race.  She  was  much  admired,  and  received  many 
little  presents  ;  and  when  she  left  the  ship,  after  staying 
on  board  an  hour,  she  was  much  delighted  with  her  trip, 
and  still  more  so  with  the  promise  of  Bramble,  that  he 
would  stay  ashore  for  some  time,  as  soon  as  he  came  back 
from  the  river.  I  remained  with  her  on  shore  till  dusk, 
and  then,  having  collected  the  clean  linen,  as  we  were 
expected  to  sail  early  the  next  morning,  I  returned  on 
board  the  Indiaman. 


Chapter  XXVII 

Showing  the  importance,  on  board  ship,  of  a  rope's  end  well  applied. 

The  next  morning,  as  we  expected,  the  orders  came  down 
for  the  Indiaman  to  go  round  to  the  river.  The  wind  was 
fair,  but  light :  we  hove  up  and  made  sail,  stemming  the 
last  of  the  ebb.  When  the  flood  made,  the  wind  died 
away,  so  that  we  made  but  little  progress ;  much  to  the 
annoyance  of  those  on  board,  who  were  naturally  impatient 
to  land  after  so  tedious  a  voyage.  Towards  the  evening 
it  fell  calm,  and  a  fog  bank  rose  on  the  horizon  to  the 
eastward.  There  were  still  two  hours  of  daylight,  when, 
as  I  was  sweeping  the  horizon  with  my  glass,  I  discovered 
the  three  masts  of  a  vessel  with  no  sails  set  on  them.  As 
she  was  a  long  way  off,  I  went  half  way  up  the  main 
rigging  to  have  a  better  view  of  her,  and  made  her  out  to 


192  Poor  Jack 

be  a  large  lugger.  I  went  down  to  the  poop,  where 
Bramble  stood  smoking  a  cheroot  with  some  of  the  officers 
of  the  ship.  **  Father,"  says  I,  "  there's  a  large  lugger  on 
our  beam,  with  her  sails  lowered  down.  I  caught  her 
masts  with  the  glass  just  now." 

"  Then  she's  a  French  privateer,  you  may  depend  upon 
it,"  replied  Bramble,  "  and  she  means  to  try  to  take  us  by 
surprise  to-night." 

The  officers  went  down  and  reported  it  to  the  captain : 
the  glasses  were  fixed  upon  her,  and  there  was  little  doubt 
as  to  what  she  was. 

"  Lucky  you  discovered  her,  boy,  for  we  might  have 
been  surprised,  that's  a  fact,"  said  the  captain  j  "  however, 
now  she  shall  catch  a  Tartar." 

"She's  waiting  for  the  fog,  captain,"  said  Bramble, 
"  which  will  come  rolling  down  with  the  shift  of  wind 
in  about  an  hour  or  two,  I  expect ;  and  then  we  must 
allow  her  another  hour  to  get  alongside  of  us.  Depend 
upon  it  she  has  plenty  of  men,  and  intends  to  try  to  board 
us  in  the  fog." 

Everybody  was  now  on  the  qui  vive ;  the  women  were, 
as  usual,  frightened ;  the  men  passengers  looked  grave ; 
the  Lascars  rather  unsteady ;  but  we  had  forty  English 
seamen,  and  a  hundred  invalid  soldiers  on  board,  who 
could  all  be  depended  upon.  The  guns  were  loaded  and 
shotted ;  and  the  invalid  soldiers  were  mustered  ;  muskets 
and  ammunition  handed  up ;  the  bayonets  fixed,  unfixed 
again,  and  then  they  were  ordered  to  remain  on  the  booms 
with  their  accoutrements  on  and  their  muskets  by  their 
sides.  The  officers  still  kept  their  glasses  on  the  lugger, 
until  at  last  the  fog  came  down  and  we  could  see  her  no 
more. 

The  officers  who  commanded  the  invalids,  after  a  con- 
sultation with  the  captain,  at  which  Bramble  assisted,  told 
off  their  men  into  two  parties,  one  of  them  being  appointed 
to  assist  the  seamen  with  their  bayonets  in  repelling  the 
boarders  (should  the  attempt  be  made),  and  the  other 
to  fire  upon  them,  and  into  the  deck  of  the  vessel,  when 


Poor  Jack  193 

she  came  alongside.  The  Lascars  were  stationed  at  the 
guns,  in  case  they  might  be  required ;  but  no  great  de- 
pendence was  placed  upon  their  services. 

By  the  time  that  these  arrangements  had  been  made, 
the  fog  had  reached  the  Indiaman,  and  we  were  at  the 
same  time  taken  aback  with  the  easterly  breeze  which 
brought  it  down  to  us :  being  near  to  the  land,  we  put 
the  ship's  head  off  shore.  The  wind  continued  light  and 
the  water  smooth,  but  the  fog  thickened  every  minute : 
at  last  we  could  hardly  see  as  far  as  the  foremast  of  the 
vessel. 

"  He'll  be  puzzled  to  find  us,  I  think,"  said  the  captain. 

**  He'll  find  us,  never  fear,"  replied  Bramble.  "  He 
has  calculated  the  time  of  the  fog  reaching  us,  and  he 
knows  that  we  must  lay  our  head  off  shore — to  be  sure, 
we  might  give  him  the  go-by  if  we  bore  up  and  ran  back 
again  to  the  Downs." 

"I  think  I  see  myself  bearing  up  and  running  away 
from  a  rascally  French  privateer,"  said  the  captain. 
*'  Keep  a  sharp  look-out  there  forward." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  the  chief  officer. 

Half-an-hour  more  passed,  and  by  our  calculation  the 
privateer  should  have  been  on  board  of  us,  but  we  could 
see  nothing  of  her,  although  the  fog  had  cleared  up  a 
little.  The  soldiers  were  now  ordered  to  load  their 
muskets.  I  was  on  the  poop  with  Bramble,  when, 
happening  to  turn  and  look  aft  (the  very  opposite  direction 
from  which  the  privateer  was  to  be  expected),  I  saw  her 
three  lug  sails  looming  in  the  mist,  just  on  the  quarter, 
not  half  a  cable's  length  from  us.  I  jumped  down  to 
where  the  captain  was  standing,  and  said  to  him,  "  There 
she  is,  sir,  close  on  our  lee  quarter."  The  captain  sprang 
on  the  poop,  saw  the  vessel,  and  ordered  the  men  to  come 
aft  in  silence.  The  tramp  of  the  soldiers'  feet  was  scarcely 
over  when  the  lugger  was  alongside  of  us,  her  masts 
banging  against  our  main  and  mizen  chains,  as  she  rolled 
with  the  swell  under  our  lee.  The  Frenchmen  gave  a 
cheer,  which   told   us   how   very   numerous   they  were : 

P.J.  N 


194  Poor  Jack 

they  climbed  up  the  side  and  into  the  chains  like  cats, 
and  in  a  few  seconds  all  was  noise,  confusion,  and  smoke. 
It  was  impossible  to  know  what  the  result  was  to  be  for 
about  a  minute,  when  the  cheers  from  our  own  men 
announced  that  the  assailants  had  been  beaten  back.  But 
hardly  had  the  cheering  ceased  on  our  side  when  another 
cheer  was  heard  from  the  lugger,  and  the  attempt  to  gain 
our  decks  was  repeated.  This  time  the  Frenchmen  fought 
more  obstinately  than  before,  and  it  was  nearly  five  minutes 
before  they  were  repelled.  It  was  not  yet  dark  (although 
the  fog  was  thick),  and  you  could  make  out  their  coun- 
tenances pretty  clear :  a  more  wild  reckless  set  of  fellows 
I  never  beheld,  and  they  certainly  fought  very  gallantly, 
but  they  were  driven  back  again ;  and  once  more  were 
the  cheers  from  the  British  seamen  and  soldiers  mixed  up 
with  the  execrations  and  shouts  of  the  still  contending, 
although  retreating,  Frenchmen. 

Just  at  this  period  of  the  conflict,  I  was  standing  on 
the  poop  by  Bramble,  who  had  been  watching  the  result, 
when  he  said,  "  Tom,  come  with  me  :  do  you  jump  into 
the  main  chains  with  a  double  part  of  the  topsail  halyards 
fall,  and  when  the  lugger's  mast  strikes  against  the  chains, 
as  she  rolls  in  to  us,  pass  the  fall  round  it  underneath 
the  rigging,  and  hand  the  end  in  to  me." 

We  both  leapt  off  the  poop ;  he  gave  me  the  bight 
of  the  halyards.  I  crept  out  of  the  port  into  the  chains 
and  passed  it  round  the  lugger's  mainmast,  as  he  told 
me,  handing  in  the  bight  to  him  which  he  belayed  slack 
to  the  main-sheet  kevel.  At  the  time  I  perceived  a  man 
lying  wounded  or  dead  in  the  main  chains,  but  I  paid  no 
attention  to  him  until,  as  I  was  about  to  get  on  board, 
he  attracted  my  attention  by  seizing  my  leg,  and  making 
his  teeth  meet  in  the  small  part  of  it,  above  the  ankle. 
I  could  not  help  crying  out,  I  was  so  taken  by  surprise 
with  the  pain  j  however  I  kicked  him  off,  and  turning 
to  look  at  him,  I  found  it  was  a  wounded  Frenchman, 
who,  perceiving  what  I  was  about,  had  paid  me  that 
compliment.     As  soon   as  I  was   on   board   I  heard  the 


Poor  Jack  195 

captain  say  to  Bramble,  "  Well,  pilot,  he  has  had  enough 
of  it." 

**  Yes,  and  he  wo'n't  escape,  captain,  for  Tom  has  got 
him  fast  by  the  mast-head,  and  they  dare  not  climb  up 
to  cut  themselves  adrift.  All  that  you  have  to  do  now 
is  to  let  the  soldiers  fire  on  his  decks  until  they  run 
below,  and  then  our  men  can  board  and  take  possession 
of  her." 

The  captain,  perceiving  that  the  vessel  was  made  fast, 
gave  the  necessary  orders.  The  soldiers  lined  the 
hammock  nettings  and  chains,  and  such  a  shower  of 
musketry  was  poured  into  her  decks  that  the  Frenchmen 
were  soon  driven  below,  and  our  seamen  then  slipped 
down  her  rigging,  boarded,  and  took  possession  of  her. 
The  prisoners  having  been  ordered  up  and  passed  into 
the  forehold,  the  wounded  men  were  then  looked  after. 
We  had  eleven  wounded,  but  none  killed ;  the  Frenchman 
had  eight  killed  and  seventeen  wounded  ;  among  others, 
the  captain,  who  had  headed  the  second  attempt  to  board. 
She  was  called  the  Pucelle  d'Orkans,  of  twelve  guns  and 
a  hundred  and  twenty-five  men. 

It  was  two  or  three  hours  before  we  were  again  all  to 
rights,  and  a  party  sent  on  board  of  the  prize  ;  and  then 
there  was  again  another  kind  of  confusion,  from  the  con- 
gratulations, drinking  healths,  the  women  coming  up  on 
deck,  &c.  J  however  the  weather  continued  light,  so  it 
was  of  no  consequence.  That  Frenchman  bit  very  hard, 
and  I  limped  for  three  or  four  days  afterwards. 

"  Well,  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  "  I  see  you've  got  nerve, 
so  all's  right.  You  had  better  go  and  lie  down  now, 
for  you  must  be  tired ;  I'll  call  you  in  the  morning." 

Very  glad  was  I  to  limp  to  bed.  All  night  I  dreamt 
of  nothing  but  volleys  of  musketry,  and  boarding  and 
reboarding,  and  being  wounded  in  the  leg,  and  then  I 
would  awake  with  the  smart  of  the  Frenchman's  teeth. 

The  next  morning  when  I  came  on  deck,  the  captain 
thanked  me  for  my  services,  and  said  that  the  lugger 
would  have  escaped  had  it  not  been  for  me.     I  replied 


196  Poor  Jack 

that  it  was  Bramble  who  prevented  her  escape,  as  I  should 
not  have  thought  of  making  her  fast  if  I  had  not  been  told. 

"  That's  all  true  enough,"  replied  the  captain  j  "  but 
how  many  of  your  age,  having  been  told  to  do  it,  would 
have  done  it,  Tom  ?     I  shall  not  forget  you." 

I  went  on  the  poop  to  Bramble,  who,  as  usual,  had  his 
short  pipe  in  his  hand  ;  and  I  certainly  was  pleased  when 
I  saw  what  a  beautiful  craft  we  had  helped  to  capture. 
She  sat  like  a  swan  on  the  water,  and  sailed  round  and 
round  us  with  the  greatest  ease. 

In  the  afternoon  we  anchored  at  the  Nore,  and  sent 
away  all  the  prisoners  to  Sheerness.  I  must  not  forget 
to  say  how  very  kind  and  generous  the  passengers  were 
to  me.  They  made  a  great  many  presents,  some  of 
value,  as  I  afterwards  found  out ;  and  I  was  glad  to  receive 
them  that  I  might  give  them  to  Virginia,  and  those  who 
had  been  friendly  to  me. 

The  next  morning  we  arrived  off  Greenwich,  and 
Bramble  told  me  to  go  on  shore  and  remain  with  my 
father  and  mother  until  he  came  down,  which  he  would 
do  in  a  few  days,  and  pay  a  visit  to  his  old  friend 
Anderson.  I  landed  with  all  my  contraband  articles  in 
the  boat,  but  no  one  thought  of  stopping  or  searching 
the  former  "  Poor  Jack."  My  insignificance  was  my 
protection ;  and  I  arrived  safely  at  Fisher's  Alley  with 
all  my  curiosities  and  prohibited  effects.  When  I  entered 
the  house,  I  perceived  that  there  was  a  third  person 
sitting  in  company  with  my  mother  and  Virginia  ;  but 
Virginia  sprang  to  me,  and  I  threw  down  my  bundles 
with  which  I  was  loaded,  and  pressed  her  in  my  arms. 
Although  I  had  been  absent  but  four  months,  she  appeared 
to  be  very  much  grown,  and  in  every  way  improved. 
As  soon  as  I  had  released  her,  I  offered  my  hand  to  my 
mother,  who  took  it  very  coldly,  and  then  observed, 
"  Tom,  you  will  be  so  ungenteel ;  don't  you  see  there 
is  a  gentleman  here  .'' " 

"  I  beg  his  pardon,  mother,"  replied  I  j  "  but  I  could 
only  see  my  sister  just  then." 


Poor  Jack  197 

'*  And  I  admire  your  feeling,  Tom,"  replied  the  party. 
**  Mrs  Saunders,  you  must  not  scold  him  for  that.  How- 
do  you  do,  Tom,  and  how  do  you  like  your  profession  ?  " 
continued  he,  holding  out  his  hand. 

I  took  his  hand,  and  looking  at  him  I  recognised  him. 
"Oh,  sir!  you  are  the  gentleman  who  was  sitting  in  the 
room  when  we  called  upon  Sir  Hercules  and  her 
Ladyship." 

"  I  am  so,  Tom,  and  I  promised  Sir  Hercules  that  I 
would  have  an  eye  to  you  all,  and  be  of  any  use  to  you 
that  I  could.  My  name  is  Wilson,  and  I'm  what  the  sailors 
call  a  shark,  that  is,  I'm  a  lawyer." 

"  Well,  you  don't  appear  as  if  you  would  bite,  sir,'* 
replied  I,  as  I  looked  at  his  venerable  and  kind  face. 

"  No,  no,  we  never  frighten  people  by  our  looks  ;  we 
don't  carry  our  teeth  with  us ;  but  I  have  several  rows  of 
them,  all  upon  shelves  in  my  chambers,  called  the  *  Statutes 
at  large,'  and  by  other  names." 

He  then  entered  into  conversation  with  me,  and  I  told 
him  most  of  what  had  passed,  of  course  not  forgetting 
that  the  Indiaman  we  had  brought  up  the  river  had 
captured  a  privateer.  He  sat  about  an  hour,  and  then 
went  away,  desiring  me  to  call  upon  him.  I  was  not 
sorry  when  he  went,  as  I  wished  to  show  my  presents 
to  Virginia,  and  give  her  those  which  she  liked  best. 
When  Virginia  had  selected  for  herself,  or  rather  I  had 
forced  upon  her  all  she  most  admired,  I  gave  a  cut  ivory 
card-case,  a  filigree  needle-case,  and  a  small  red  scarf  to 
my  mother,  who,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  appeared 
pleased  with  me,  and  said  that  they  were  very  genteel,  and 
she  was  much  obliged  to  me.  The  remainder  I  put  away 
in  my  room  upstairs,  intending  to  keep  some  for  Bessy, 
and  give  the  others  to  Mrs  St  Felix,  the  doctor,  and  old 
Nanny. 

I  then  went  to  the  Hospital,  and  found  out  my  father, 
old  Anderson,  and  Ben.  I  narrated  to  them  much  more 
circumstantially  than  I  did  to  the  old  lawyer  the  particulars 
of  the  capture  of  the  privateer.     Anderson  put  a  great 


198  Poor  Jack 

many  inquiries  to  me,  as  to  my  liking  my  profession,  and 
also  concerning  little  Bessy,  whose  history  I  communicated 
to  him.  After  my  father  and  Ben  had  left,  he  gave 
me  a  great  deal  of  advice,  all  of  which  I  trust  that  I 
treasured  up. 

"  I  hear,"  said  he,  "  that  Spicer  has  been  talking  a  good 
deal  about  you,  and  inquiring  very  often  when  you  were 
expected  to  return.   Were  you  very  intimate  with  that  man?" 

I  replied  in  the  negative,  and  then  narrated  the  whole 
history  of  the  spy-glass,  the  erasure  of  the  name  by  Mrs 
St  Felix,  and  the  recognition  of  it  by  Spicer. 

"  You  did  right  to  leave  him  in  his  error  relative  to 
where  you  received  the  glass  from,"  said  Peter  Anderson : 
"  there  is  some  mystery  there  which  time  may  unravel, 
but  do  not  say  a  word  of  it  to  any  one,  Tom.  I  am  glad 
that  you  have  told  me,  as  in  case  you  are  away,  and  any- 
thing should  occur,  I  shall  know  how  to  act." 

I  must  acknowledge  that  I  now  walked  proudly  through 
the  streets  of  Greenwich.  I  was  no  longer  Poor  Jack, 
but  I  was  earning  my  livelihood  in  my  profession.  I  had 
reason  to  be  still  prouder  when,  two  days  afterwards, 
Mr  Wilson  came  to  my  mother's  with  the  newspaper  in 
his  hand  in  which  there  was  a  long  account  of  the  capture 
of  the  privateer,  and  the  conduct  of  Bramble  and  of  me 
spoken  of  in  the  highest  terms.  This  he  read  aloud  to 
my  mother  and  Virginia.  I  watched  my  sister :  the  tears 
filled  her  eyes  as  she  listened ;  and  when  Mr  Wilson  had 
done,  her  arms  were  round  my  neck,  and  her  smiles  were 
mixed  with  her  tears,  and  sometimes  she  would  laugh  as 
she  cried.  Oh !  how  I  loved  her  then,  for  I  felt  how 
dearly  she  loved  me ;  even  my  mother  appeared  gratified, 
although  she  said  nothing,  but  continued  to  repair  the 
lace  veil  upon  which  she  had  been  employed.  That 
evening  I  went  with  Virginia  to  call  upon  Mrs  St  Felix, 
taking  with  me  the  presents  I  had  laid  aside  for 
her.  She  welcomed  me  as  usual,  and  accepted  what 
I  brought  for  her  without  hesitation  and  with  many 
thanks. 


Poor  Jack  199 

"  Well,  Mr  Tom,"  said  she,  "  I'll  just  put  away  all  your 
nice  little  remembrances,  and  then  I'll  tell  you  that  I've 
heard  all  about  your  behaviour  in  the  fight  with  the 
privateer ;  and  I've  no  doubt  but  that,  if  you  continue  to 
go  on  as  you've  begun,  you  will  one  day  have  a  leg  the 
less,  as  your  father  has  before  you." 

"  I  hope  not,"  replied  I :  *'  two  legs  are  better  than 
one." 

"  Yes,  when  you  want  to  run  away,  that's  true.  I  see 
now  why  you're  so  anxious  to  save  your  legs." 

*'  But,  Mrs  St  Felix,  if  it  had  not  been  for  that  good 
spy-glass  you  gave  me,  I  never  should  have  discovered  the 
privateer,  and  we  should  not  have  been  prepared  for  her." 

"  Well,  that's  fortunate :  it  didn't  prove  a  glass  too 
much,  anyhow,  or  you'd  have  seen  double.  I  suppose, 
then,  all  these  pretty  things  are  my  share  of  the  prize- 
money." 

"  No,  they  are  no  value,  except  to  prove  to  you  that 
Poor  Jack  has  not  forgotten  your  kindness,  and  never 
will." 

"That  I  believe:  and  believing  that,  I  suppose  you 
have  not  forgotten  old  Nanny." 

"  No;  but  I  have  not  seen  her  yet.  I  intend  to  go  to- 
morrow ;  but  I  have  something  for  the  doctor.  He  is  not 
at  home,  will  you  give  it  to  him  ? " 

"  Certainly,  you  knov/  I  am  as  good  as  a  mother  to  him." 

"I  think  the  doctor  would  rather  you'd  be  a  wife  to 
him." 

"  That's  a  foolish  idea  that's  in  many  people's  heads, 
Tom,  which  I'll  thank  you  to  contradict.  I  never  intend 
to  change  my  name." 

"  Don't  make  too  sure,"  replied  I ;  and  I  added  at  a 
venture  (why,  I  know  not,  but  I  had  formed  the  idea  in 
my  mind  that  St  Felix  was  not  her  proper  name),  "  you 
may  change  it  yet  for  your  real  name." 

"Tom,  Tom!"  cried  the  widow,  "what  do  you 
mean  ? " 

"  Nothing,"  replied  I ;  "I  was  only  joking." 


200  Poor  Jack 

"  Well  then,  don't  talk  such  nonsense,  or  I  shall  send 
you  out  of  the  shop." 

I  had,  however,  it  appeared,  struck  upon  a  chord  which 
jarred,  and  all  the  spirits  of  Mrs  St  Felix  vanished  at  once. 
So  Virginia  and  I  wished  her  a  good  evening,  and  returned 
home. 


Chapter    XXVIII 

Some  little  difference   in  the   proceeds  of   this  chapter,  and   my  former 
"  copper  for  Poor  Jack,  your  honour." 

On  our  arrival  at  my  mother's,  I  found  a  letter  from 
Bramble,  stating  that  he  would  be  at  Greenwich  in  two 
days,  and,  further,  informing  me  that  the  Honourable 
Company  had  been  pleased,  in  consequence  of  the  report 
made  of  our  good  behaviour,  to  award  to  him  the  sum 
of  two  hundred  pounds,  and  to  me  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
pounds,  as  a  remuneration  for  our  assistance  in  the  capture 
of  the  privateer. 

This  was  news  indeed.  One  hundred  pounds  !  I  never 
thought  that  I  should  possess  such  a  sum  in  my  life.  One 
hundred  pounds  !  what  should  I  do  with  it  ?  My  mother 
was  astonished,  and  then  fell  into  a  very  grave  mood. 
Virginia  was  pleased,  but  appeared  to  care  less  about  it 
than  I  thought  she  would  have  done.  My  father  came  in 
as  usual  with  Ben  the  Whaler,  and  I  read  the  letter. 

"Why,  Tom,  that's  about  as  much  prize-money  as  I 
have  made  in  all  my  sarvice,"  said  my  father,  "  and  you've 
been  afloat  only  four  months.  Come,  missis,  send  for 
some  beer,  and  let  us  drink  Tom's  health,  and  success 
to  him.  God  bless  you,  my  boy  j  the  papers  say  you 
deserved  it,  and  that's  better  than  your  getting  it.  I'm 
proud  of  you ;  I  am  indeed,  my  boy :  your  father's  proud 
of  you,  Tom," — and  here  my  father  showed  more  emotion 
than  ever  I  witnessed  in  him  before  j  however,  he  put  his 


Poor  Jack  201 

lips  to  the  porter  pot,  and  when  he  had  drained  it  nearly 
to  the  bottom,  he  had  quite  recovered  himself. 

**  Well,  Tom,"  said  Ben,  after  he  had  finished  the  small 
modicum  of  beer  left  him  by  my  father,  "and  what  do  you 
mean  to  do  with  all  that  money  ? " 

"  Fm  sure  I  don't  know — I  have  no  want  of  it — I  have 
everything  I  wish  for." 

"  Come,  missis,"  said  my  father,  "we  must  have  another 
pot,  for  I  drank  deep,  and  Ben  has  been  shared  out."  My 
mother  very  graciously  sent  for  another  pot  of  porter, 
which,  with  the  newspaper,  occupied  Ben  and  my  father 
till  it  was  time  for  us  to  break  up  and  go  to  bed. 

The  next  morning  when  I  went  down  I  found  Virginia 
alone,  my  mother  having  returned  to  her  room. 

**  Tom,"  said  she,  "  what  do  you  think  my  mother  said 
to  me  when  we  were  going  to  bed  last  night  ?  " 

"  Tell  me." 

**  She  said,  *  Tom  says  he  don't  know  what  to  do  with 
his  money.  I  only  wish  I  had  it ;  I  would  turn  it  into 
three  times  the  sum  in  three  years,  and  have  a  better  home 
for  you,  my  dear.' " 

*'  Did  she  say  how  ? " 

**  Yes,  I  asked  her  how  5  she  said  that  she  should  take  a 
new  house  with  a  shop  up  the  town,  and  set  up  as  a 
milliner,  with  apprentices ;  that,  as  soon  as  she  was  fairly 
employed,  she  should  give  up  getting  up  fine  linen,  and 
only  take  in  laces  to  wash  and  mend,  which  was  a  very 
profitable  business." 

**  Well,"  says  I,  "Virginia,  my  mother  is  a  hard-working 
Avoman,  and  a  clever  woman,  and  I  dare  say  she  would  do 
very  well,  and,  as  she  says  she  would  have  a  better  home 
for  you,  I  think  I  shall  let  her  have  the  money  ;  but  I 
won't  say  so  yet.  I  must  talk  about  it  to  Peter  Anderson, 
and  if  he  don't  say  no,  she  shall  have  it  with  pleasure." 

"  That  will  be  very  kind  of  you,  Tom ;  and  I  hope 
-mother  will  feel  it,  for  you  don't  owe  her  much." 

"  Never  mind  that  j  after  breakfast  I'll  see  Peter 
Anderson :  don't  say  a  word  about  it  till  I  come  back." 


202  Poor  Jack 

At  breakfast-time  my  mother  still  appeared  to  be  very 
thoughtful :  the  fact  was,  that  the  idea  of  what  advantage 
the  money  would  be  had  taken  possession  of  her  mind  ; 
and  perhaps  she  thought  that  there  was  no  chance  of 
obtaining  it.  Perhaps  she  felt  that,  had  she  treated  me 
better,  she  would  have  had  it  without  difficulty — it  was 
impossible  to  say  exactly. 

After  breakfast  I  walked  with  Virginia  to  her  school ; 
and  then  set  off  to  Anderson,  to  whom  I  immediately 
imparted  what  had  taken  place.    His  answer  was  decided — 

"  I  think,  Jack,  you  can't  do  better ;  but,  at  the 
same  time,  let  us  go  to  your  father  and  hear  his 
opinion." 

My  father  coincided  with  Anderson  and  me  ;  and  he 
added,  "  I  tell  you  what,  your  mother  is  not  parfect  exactly 
— though  I  say  it,  as  shouldn't  say  it — but  still  she  does  work 
hard — and  she  will  work  hard — she  has  paid  my  little  girl's 
schooling  out  of  her  own  arnings ;  and,  moreover,  she  has 
found  me  one  pot  of  porter  at  least,  every  night,  which  has 
made  me  very  comfortable.  Now  I've  still  a  matter  of  forty 
pounds  in  the  lieutenant's  hands;  I'll  add  it  to  Tom's  hundred 
pounds,  and  then  she  will  have  a  fair  start.  What  d'ye 
think,  Peter  ? " 

"  I  think  you  are  both  right ;  and,  Tom — you  are  doing 
your  duty." 

I  knew  what  Anderson  meant.  I  thanked  him  for  his 
advice  j  and  my  father  and  I  went  to  my  mother's  house. 
I  requested  my  father  to  stand  spokesman,  which  he  did, 
ending  by  telling  my  mother,  that  my  hundred  pounds  and 
his  forty  pounds  were  very  much  at  her  sarvice,  and  good 
luck  to  her.  Virginia's  eyes  glistened  as  she  took  me  by 
the  hand.     My  mother  replied — 

**  Very  well,  if  we  pleased,  she  would  do  her  best  for  us 
all." 

The  answer  was  hardly  gracious,  but  I  watched  her 
countenance,  and  saw  she  was  moved.  Her  thin  lips 
quivered,  as  she  turned  away  and  went  upstairs,  which  she 
did  immediately  after  her  reply.     In  about  half  an  hour, 


Poor  Jack  203 

during  which  I  was  laughing  with  Virginia,  my  mother 
came  downstairs  in  her  shawl  and  bonnet. 

"  Tom,"  said  she,  in  a  kind  manner,  "  will  you  walk  with 
Virginia  to  school  this  afternoon,  as  I  am  going  to  have 
some  conversation  with  Mr  Wilson  ?" 

The  alteration  in  her  tone  of  voice  to  me  was  immedi- 
ately perceived  by  Virginia. 

*'  You  are  a  dear  good  Tom,**  said  she,  kissing  me,  as 
soon  as  my  mother  had  left  the  house. 

As  soon  as  I  had  left  Virginia  at  school,  I  went  to  call 
upon  old  Nanny,  whom  I  found  quite  brisk  and  lively, 
sorting  old  keys  and  rusty  hinges. 

"  Well,  Jack,"  said  she,  "  so  you  are  come  at  last ;  I 
thought  you  would  have  been  here  yesterday,  but  nobody 
cares  about  an  old  woman  like  me.  I  heard  all  about  you, 
and  how  you  took  the  privateer,  and  how  the  Company  have 
given  you  a  hundred  pounds ;  and  when  I  heard  that,  I 
said,  '  Now  Jack  (Poor  Jack  that  was,  who  came  begging 
to  old  Nanny  to  lend  him  money)  will  not  come  to  see  me  ; 
he'll  be  too  proud.  Besides,  I  said,  his  family  is  getting 
up  in  the  world  :  there's  a  baronet  and  his  lady  who  have 
taken  them  under  their  protection,  and  there's  Lawyer 
Wilson  calls  at  the  house.  O  dear  me !  it's  the  way  of  us 
all.'" 

"  And  so  you  said  all  that  to  yourself,  did  you  ? "  re- 
plied I. 

"  Yes,  and  a  great  deal  more  too." 

"  Then,  mother,  you  did  me  injustice.  I  could  not  well 
come  before  ;  I  had  to  see  my  father  and  mother,  and  my 
sister,  and  I  had  business  to  transact." 

"Mercy  on  us!  business  to  transact!  Poor  Jack  had 
business  to  transact !  .  Here's  a  change  from  the  time  that 
his  whole  business  was  to  touch  his  hat  for  coppers,  and 
dip  his  head  in  the  mud  for  a  penny." 

**  Nevertheless,  what  I  say  is  true,  and  you  are  very  un- 
just to  accuse  me  as  you  have  done  :  I  have  always  thought 
of  you,  and  have  now  with  me  several  things  that  I  have 
collected  for  you." 


204  Poor  Jack 

"  Yes,  you  promised  me — Jack,  you  do  keep  your  pro- 
mises; I  will  say  that  for  you.   Well,  -what  have  you  got?" 

I  opened  my  handkerchief,  and  pulled  out  several  little 
articles,  such  as  fine  worked  baskets,  shells,  &c.,  and,  among 
the  rest,  a  pound  of  tea,  in  a  leaden  canister. 

"  There,  mother,  I  have  brought  you  them  as  a  present, 
and  I  hope  you  will  take  them." 

Old  Nanny  turned  them  over  one  by  one,  rather  con- 
temptuously, as  I  thought,  until  she  came  to  the  tea. 
^'  That  may  do,"  said  she.  "  Why,  Jack,  those  are  all  very 
pretty  things,  but  they  are  too  pretty  for  my  shop :  why 
didn't  you  bring  me  some  empty  ginger-beer  bottles  ?  I 
could  have  sold  them  this  very  morning." 

"Why,  mother,  I  really  did  not  like  to  ask  for  such 
things." 

'*  No,  there  it  is  ;  you've  grown  so  fine  all  of  a  sudden  : 
these  are  no  use,  for  nobody  will  come  to  my  shop  to  buy 
them." 

"I  thought  you  would  like  to  keep  them  yourself, 
mother." 

"  Keep  them  ;  O  !  they  are  keepsakes,  are  they  ?  Look 
you,  Jack,  if  they  are  to  be  kept,  you  had  better  take 
them  away  at  once,  and  give  them  to  the  young  girls. 
Girls  like  keepsakes,  old  women  like  money." 

"  Well,  mother,  sell  them  if  you  please ;  they  are  your 
own." 

"  Sell  them :  let  me  see — yes — I  think  I  know  where 
there  is  a  sort  of  curiosity  shop,  in  Church  Street ;  but  it's 
a  long  way  to  walk.  Jack,  and  that — let  me  see,"  continued 
she,  counting  the  different  articles — "  one,  two,  three — 
seven  times.  Jack." 

*'  But  why  not  take  them  all  at  once  ?  " 

"All  at  once,  you  stupid  boy  ?  I  should  get  no  more  for 
two  than  for  one.  No,  no  j  one  at  a  time,  and  I  may  make 
a  few  shillings.  Well,  Jack,  it's  very  kind  of  you  after  all, 
so  don't  mind  my  being  a  little  cross  j  it  was  not  on 
account  of  the  things,  but  because  you  did  not  come  to  see 
me,  and  I've  been  looking  out  for  you." 


Poor  Jack  205 

"  If  I  had  thought  that,  I  would  have  come  sooner, 
mother,  although  it  would  not  have  been  convenient." 

*'  I  believe  you,  Jack,  I  believe  you  ;  but  you  young 
people  can't  feel  as  an  old  woman  like  I  do.  There  is  but 
one  thing  I  love  in  the  world,  Jack,  now,  and  that's  you ; 
and  when  I  get  weary  of  waiting  for  that  one  thing,  and  it 
don't  come.  Jack,  it  does  make  a  poor  old  woman  like  me 
a  little  cross  for  the  time." 

I  was  touched  with  this  last  speech  of  old  Nanny's,  who 
had  never  shown  me  any  such  a  decided  mark  of  kindness 
before.  "  Mother,"  said  I,  "  depend  upon  it,  whenever 
I  return  to  Greenwich,  you  shall  be  the  first  person  that  I 
come  to  see  after  I  have  been  to  my  mother's." 

**  That's  kind.  Jack,  and  you  keep  your  promise  always. 
Now,  sit  down  j  you  don't  want  to  go  away  already,  do 
you.?" 

"No,  mother,  I  came  to  spend  the  whole  morning  with 
you." 

"Well,  then,  sit  down;  take  care.  Jack,  you'll  knock 
down  that  bottle.  Now  tell  me,  what  do  you  intend  to  do 
with  your  hundred  pounds  ? " 

"  I  have  settled  that  already,  mother.  I  have  given 
it  away." 

"  Already !  Why,  the  boy  has  one  hundred  pounds 
given  him  on  the  morning,  and  he  gives  it  away  before 
night.  Mercy  on  us  !  v/ho  would  ever  think  of  leaving 
you  any  money  ? " 

"  No  one,  mother,  and  I  never  expect  any  except  what 
I  earn." 

"Why,  Jack,  do  you  know  how  much  one  hundred 
pounds  is  ?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

"Now,  Jack,  tell  me  the  truth,  who  did  you  give  it  to,^ 
your  father,  or  your  little  sister,  or  who  ?  for  I  can't 
understand  how  a  person  could  give  away  one  hundred 
pounds  in  any  way  or  to  anybody." 

"  Well,  then,  I  gave  it  to  my  mother." 

"  Your   mother !    your  mother,    who   has   hated  you^ 


2o6  Poor  Jack 

wished  you  dead,  half-starved  you !  Jack,  is  that 
possible  ? " 

"  My  mother  has  not  been  fond  of  me,  but  she  has 
worked  hard  for  my  sister.  This  hundred  pounds  will 
enable  her  to  do  much  better  than  she  does  now,  and  it's 
of  no  use  to  me.     Mother  may  love  me  yet,  Nanny." 

"She  ought  to,"  replied  old  Nanny,  gravely  ;  and  then 
she  covered  her  face  up  with  her  hands.  "  Oh,  what  a 
difference  !  "  ejaculated  she  at  last. 

"  Difference,  mother,  difference  ?  in  what .'"' 

"  Oh,  Jack,  between  you  and — somebody  else.  Don't 
talk  about  it  any  more,  Jack,"  said  Nanny,  casting  her  eyes 
down  to  the  presents  I  had  brought  her.  "  I  recollect  the 
time,"  continued  she,  evidently  talking  to  herself,  "  that  I 
had  plenty  of  presents ;  ay,  and  when  it  was  thought  a 
great  favour  if  I  would  accept  them.  That  was  when  I 
was  young  and  beautiful  5  yes,  people  would  laugh  if  they 
heard  me, — young  and  very  beautiful,  or  men's  smiles  and 
women's  hate  were  thrown  away — 

•  Why  so  pale  and  wan,  fond  lover ; 
Prithee,  why  so  pale  ?  ' 

Yes,  yes,  by-gones  are  by-gones." 

I  was  much  surprised  to  hear  old  Nanny  attempt  to 
sing,  and  could  hardly  help  laughing  j  but  I  restrained 
myself.  She  didn't  speak  again,  but  continued  bent  over 
one  of  the  baskets,  as  if  thinking  about  former  days.  I 
broke  the  silence  by  saying — 

"What  part  of  the  country  did  you  live  in  when  you 
were  young,  mother  ?  " 

"  In  the  north  part :  but  never  ask  questions." 

"  Yes,  but,  mother,  I  wish  to  ask  questions.  I  wish 
you  to  tell  me  your  whole  history.  I  will  not  tell  it  again 
to  any  one,  I  promise  you." 

"But  why  should  you  wish  to  know  the  history  of  a 
poor  old  thing  like  me  ?  " 

"  Because,  mother,  I  am  sure  you  must  have  seen  better 
days." 


Poor  Jack  207 

"  And  if  I  have,  Jack,  is  it  kind  to  ask  me  to  bring  up 
to  memory  the  days  when  I  was  fair  and  rich,  when  the 
world  smiled  upon  me,  and  I  was  fool  enough  to  think  that 
it  would  always  smile  ?  Is  it  kind  to  recall  what  was  to 
an  old,  miserable,  deserted  wretch  like  me,  struggling  to 
keep  out  of  the  workhouse  ?  Look  at  me  now.  Jack,  and 
see  what  I  now  am  :  is  it  not  cruel  to  bring  to  my  mind 
what  I  once  was  ?  Go  to.  Jack,  you're  a  selfish  boy,  and 
I  don't  love  you." 

**  Indeed,  mother,  if  I  thought  it  would  have  given  you 
pain,  I  never  would  have  asked  you  ;  but  you  cannot 
wonder  at  me.  Recollect  that  you  have  ever  been  my  best 
friend  :  you  trusted  me  when  nobody  else  would  j  and  can 
you  be  surprised  at  my  feeling  an  interest  about  you  ? 
Why,  mother,  I  don't  even  know  your  name." 

"  Well,  Jack,  you  have  put  things  in  a  better  light.  I 
do  believe  that  you  care  for  me,  and  who  else  does  ?  but. 
Jack,  my  name  you  never  shall  know,  even  if  I  am  to  tell 
you  all  the  rest." 

"  Were  you  ever  married,  mother  ?  '* 

"  Yes,  child,  I  was  married.  Now,  what's  the  next 
question  ?  "  continued  she,  impatiently. 

"  Had  you  any  children  ?  " 

"  Yes,  boy,  I  had  one — one  that  was  a  source  of  misery 
and  shame  to  his  doting  mother."  Old  Nanny  pressed  her 
eyeballs  with  her  knuckles,  as  if  in  agony. 

**  I  won't  ask  you  any  more  questions,"  said  I,  mourn- 
fully. 

"  Not  now.  Jack,  that's  a  good  boy ;  some  other  day, 
perhaps,  I'll  tell  you  all.  There's  a  lesson  in  every  life, 
and  a  warning  in  too  many.  You'll  come  again.  Jack  5 
yes,  I  know  you'll  come  to  hear  my  story ;  so  I  shall  see 
you  once  more  before  you  leave — go  now."  Old  Nanny 
rose  and  went  in-doors,  taking  her  stool  in  her  hand,  and 
leaving  the  presents  where  they  lay,  outside, — a  proof  that 
she  was  in  great  agitation.  I  put  them  inside  the  thres- 
hold, and  then  went  homewards. 

I  could  not  help  remarking,  as  I  walked  home,  that  old 


2o8  Poor  Jack 

Nanny's  language  and  manner  appeared  very  superior  when 
she  broke  out  in  these  reminiscences  of  the  past,  and  I  felt 
more  interest  in  her  than  I  ever  had  before. 

On  my  return,  I  found  Bramble,  who  had  come  down 
sooner  than  he  was  expected,  sitting  in  the  parlour  with 
Peter  Anderson  and  my  father,  all  smoking,  with  porter 
on  the  table. 

"Well,  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  "here  I  am  two  days 
before  my  time,  but  that's  better  than  being  two  days  after 
it,  and  what's  more,  I've  got  the  money,  both  yours  and 
mine.  They  told  me  I  should  not  get  it  for  three  months 
at  least ;  but  I  sent  up  my  name  to  the  Board,  and  ex- 
plained to  them,  that  a  pilot  could  not  wait  like  a  purser, 
while  they  were  passing  accounts,  so  the  gentleman 
laughed,  and  gave  me  an  order  for  it,  and  I've  got  all  my 
pilotage  too  ;  so  I'm  a  rich  man  just  now.  Come,  I'll  give 
you  yours  at  once,  and  I  hope  it  may  not  be  the  last 
hundred  pounds  that  you'll  pick  up." 

Bramble  pulled  his  leathern  case  out  of  his  pilot  jacket, 
and  counted  out  ten  ten-pound  notes.  "  There,  Jack,  you 
ought  to  give  me  a  receipt,  for  I  signed  for  you  at  the 
India  House." 

*'  Oh,  you've  plenty  of  witnesses,"  replied  I,  as  I 
collected  the  notes,  and  giving  them  to  Virginia,  told  her 
to  take  them  to  my  mother,  who  was  upstairs  in  her 
room. 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth.  Jack,  this  two  hundred  pounds, 
which  I  earned  so  easily,  has  just  come  in  the  right  time, 
and  with  it  and  my  pilotage  I  shall  now  be  able  to  do  what 
I  have  long  wished." 

"  And  what's  that  (  "  inquired  I.  "  Something  for 
Bessy,  I  suppose." 

"  Exactly,  Tom :  it  is  something  for  Bessy,  that  is,  it 
will  be  by-and-bye.  I've  a  good  matter  of  money,  which 
I've  laid  by  year  after  year,  and  worked  hard  for  it,  too, 
and  I  never  have  known  what  to  do  with  it.  I  can't 
understand  the  funds  and  those  sort  of  things,  so  I  have 
kept  some  here  and  some  there.     Now  you  know  the  grass 


Poor  Jack  209 

land  at  the  back  of  the  cottage  :  it  forms  part  of  a  tidy 
little  farm,  which  is  rented  for  seventy  pounds  a  year,  by  a 
good  man,  and  it  has  been  for  sale  these  three  years  j  but 
I  never  could  manage  the  price  till  now.  When  we  go 
back  to  Deal,  I  shall  try  if  I  can  buy  that  farm ;  for,  you 
see,  money  may  slip  through  a  man's  fingers  in  many  ways, 
but  land  can't  run  away  ;  and,  as  you  say,  it  will  be  Bessy's 
one  of  these  days — and  more  too,  if  I  can  scrape  it  up." 

"  You  are  right,  Bramble,"  said  Peter  Anderson  ;  "  and 
I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  can  afford  to  buy  the  land." 

"Why,  there's  money  to  be  picked  up  by  pilotage,  if 
you  work  hard,  and  ar'n't  afraid  of  heavy  ships,"  replied 
Bramble. 

"Well,  I  never  had  a  piece  of  land,  and  never  shall 
have,  I  suppose,"  said  my  father.  "  I  wonder  how  a  man 
must  feel,  who  can  stand  on  a  piece  of  ground,  and  say, 
*  This  is  my  own.' " 

"  Who  knows,  father  ?  it's  not  impossible  but  you 
may." 

"  Impossible  !  no,  nothing's  impossible,  as  they  say  on 
board  of  a  man-of-war ;  it's  not  impossible  to  get  an 
apology  out  of  a  midshipman,  but  it's  the  next  thing  to 
it." 

"  Why  do  they  say  that,  father  ?  " 

"  Because  midshipmen  are  so  saucy — why,  I  don't  know. 
They  haven't  no  rank  as  officers,  nor  so  much  pay  as  a 
petty  officer,  and  yet  they  give  themselves  more  airs  than 
a  lieutenant." 

"  I'll  tell  you  why,"  replied  Anderson.  *'  A  lieutenant 
takes  care  what  he  is  about.  He  is  an  officer,  and  has 
something  to  lose  ;  but  a  midshipman  has  nothing  to  lose  ^ 
and  therefore  he  cares  about  nothing.  You  can't  break 
a  midshipman,  as  the  saying  is,  unless  you  break  his  neck. 
And  they  have  necks  which  ar'n't  easily  broken,  that's 
sartain." 

"  They  do  seem  to  me  to  have  more  lives  than  a  cat," 
observed  my  father  ;  who  after  a  pause  continued — 

"  Well,  I  was  saying  how  hard  it  was  to  get  an  apology 
p.j.  o 


2IO  Poor  Jack 

out  of  a  midshipman  -,  I'll  just  tell  you  what  took  place  on 
board  of  one  ship  I  served  in.  There  was  a  young  mid- 
shipman on  board  who  was  mighty  free  with  his  tongue  : 
he  didn't  care  what  he  said  to  anybody,  from  the  captain 
downward.  He'd  have  his  joke,  come  what  would,  and 
he'd  set  everybody  a-laughing ;  punish  him  as  much  as 
you  please,  it  was  all  the  same.  One  day,  when  we  were 
off  Halifax  harbour,  the  master,  who  was  a  good-tempered 
fellow  enough,  but  not  over  bright,  was  angry  with  this 
young  chap  for  something  that  he  had  not  done,  and 
called  him  a  '  confounded  young  bear.'  Upon  which  the 
youngster  runs  to  the  Jacob  ladder  of  the  main  rigging, 
climbs  up,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  gained  the  main  rattlings, 
he  cries  out,  *  Well,  if  I'm  a  bear,  you  ar'n't  fit  to  carry 
guts  to  a  bear.'  *  What,  sir  ? '  cried  the  master.  '  Mutiny, 
by  heavens  !  Up  to  the  mast-head,  sir,  directly.'  *  Don't 
you  see  that  I  was  going  of  my  own  accord  .'' '  replied  the 
midshipman ;  for,  you  see,  he  knew  that  he  would  be  sent 
there,  so  he  went  up  the  rigging  on  purpose.  Well,  this 
was  rather  a  serious  affair;  and  so  the  master  reports  it 
to  the  first  lieutenant,  who  reports  it  to  the  captain,  who 
sends  for  the  youngster  on  the  quarter-deck,  at  the  time 

that  the  ship's  company  were  at   quarters.      *  Mr ' 

(I  forget  his  name),  said  the  captain  (drawing  himself  up 
to  his  full  height,  and  perhaps  an  inch  or  two  above  it, 
as  they  say),  *  you  have  been  guilty  of  disrespect  to  your 
superior  officer,  in  telling  him  that  he  was  not  fit  to  carry 
guts  to  a  bear '  (the  captain  could  hardly  help  laughing) ; 
*  now,  sir,'  continued  he,  recovering  himself,  '  I  give  you 
your  choice ;  either  you  will  make  an  apology  to  Mr 
Owen,  on  this  quarter-deck,  or  you  must  quit  my  ship 
immediately.'  *  Sir,'  replied  the  midshipman,  *  I  don't 
think  it  quite  fair  that  the  master  should  first  punish  me 
himself,  and  then  complain  to  you  afterwards.  He  has 
taken  the  law  into  his  own  hands  already,  by  mast-heading 
me  for  eight  hours,  and  now  he  makes  a  complaint  to  you ; 
but  I  am  always  ready  to  do  as  you  wish  ;  and,  to  please 
you,  I  will  make  an  apology.'     '  There  is  some  truth  in 


Poor  Jack  2  t  i 

your  observation,'  replied  the  captain,  *  and  I  have  pointed 
the  same  out  to  the  master ;  but  still  this  is  a  breach  of 
discipline  which  cannot  be  passed  over,  and  requires  a 
public  retraction  before  the  whole  ship's  company.  I, 
therefore,  insist  upon  your  retracting  what  you  have  said.' 
*  Certainly,  sir,'  replied  the  youngster.  '  Mr  Owen,'  con- 
tinued he,  turning  to  the  master,  *  I  said  that  you  were 
not  fit  to  carry  guts  to  a  bear :  I  was  in  the  wrong,  and 
I  retract  with  pleasure,  for  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that 
you  are  fit   to   carry    them.'      *  Sir  ! '    cried    the   captain. 

'  O,    captain    G ! '  interrupted  the   master,  who   did 

not  take  the  joke,  *  I'm  perfectly  satisfied.  The  young 
gentleman  sees  his  error,  and  has  retracted ;  I  ask  no 
more.'  *If  you  are  satisfied,  sir,'  replied  the  captain, 
biting  his  lips,  *  of  course  I  have  nothing  more  to  say. 
Youngster,  you  may  go  to  your  duty,  and  recollect  that 
you  never  again  use  such  expressions  to  your  superior 
officer ;  and,'  said  he,  in  a  low  tone,  '  I  may  add,  never 
venture  in  my  presence  to  make  such  an  apology  as  that 
again.' " 

I  never  saw  old  Anderson  laugh  so  much  as  he  did  at  this 
story  of  my  father's.  They  continued  to  talk  and  smoke 
their  pipes  till  about  nine  o'clock,  when  my  father  and  he 
went  to  the  Hospital,  and  Bramble  took  possession  of  a  bed 
which  had  been  prepared  for  him  in  my  mother's  house. 


Chapter  XXIX 

In  which  I  learn  the  history  of  old  Nanny. 

The  next  day,  as  soon  as  I  had  finished  a  letter  to  Bessy, 
in  which  I  gave  her  a  detail  of  what  had  passed,  I  went  to 
old  Nanny's,  to  persuade  her,  if  possible,  to  tell  me  her 
history.  She  was  not  at  home,  the  door  of  her  house  was 
locked,  and  the  shutters  of  the  shop  fastened.  I  was 
about  to  return  to  Fisher's  Alley,  when  I  perceived  her 


212  Poor  Jack 

hobbling  down  the  street.  I  thought  it  better  to  make  it 
appear  as  if  I  met  her  by  accident  •,  so  I  crossed  over  the 
way,  and  walked  towards  her.  "Well,  mother,"  said  I, 
"  are  you  out  so  early  ? " 

**  Ah,  Jack  !  is  it  you  ?  yes  :  it  is  through  you  that  I  have 
had  to  take  so  long  a  walk." 

"  Through  me  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  those  presents  you  brought  me.  I'm  almost 
dead.  Why  do  you  bring  such  things  ?  But  I  did  not  do 
badly,  that's  the  truth." 

I  knew  from  this  admission  that  old  Nanny  had  sold  them 
for  more  than  she  expected  ;  indeed  she  proved  it,  by  say- 
ing, as  she  arrived  at  her  house,  "Well,  Jack,  it's  very 
troublesome  to  have  to  walk  so  far ;  but  as  you  cannot  get 
me  bottles  or  those  kind  of  things,  you  must  bring  me  what 
you  can,  and  I  must  make  the  best  of  them.  I  don't  mind 
trouble  for  your  sake,  Jack.  Now  take  the  key,  unlock 
the  door,  and  then  take  down  the  shutters  j  and  mind  how 
you  walk  about.  Jack,  or  you'll  break  half  the  things  in  my 
shop."  I  did  as  she  requested,  and  then  we  sat  down 
together  at  the  door  as  usual." 

"  I  think  I  shall  go  away  to-morrow,  or  early  the  next 
morning,  mother,"  said  I ;  "  for  Bramble  is  here,  and  he 
never  stays  long  from  his  work." 

"That's  all  right;  he  sets  a  good  example;  and.  Jack, 
if  you  do  go,  see  if  you  can't  beg  a  few  more  shells  for  me  : 
I  like  shells." 

"  Yes,  mother,  I  will  not  forget ;  but,  as  this  is  the  last 
day  I  shall  see  you  for  some  time,  will  you  not  keep  your 
promise  to  me,  and  tell  me  your  history  ? " 

"  Jack,  Jack,  you  are  the  most  persevering  creature  I 
ever  did  see.  I'm  sure  I  shall  be  worried  out  of  my  life 
until  I  tell  you,  and  so  I  may  as  well  tell  you  at  once,  and 
there'll  be  an  end  of  it ;  but  I  wish  you  had  not  asked  me. 
Jack,  I  do  indeed.  I  thought  of  it  last  night  when  I  was  in 
bed,  and  at  one  time  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  not 
tell  you,  and  then  I  thought  again  that  I  would ;  for,  Jack, 
as  I  said  yesterday,  there's  a  lesson  in  every  life,  and  a 


Poor  Jack  213 

warning  in  too  many,  and  maybe  mine  will  prove  a  warning 
to  you,  so  far  as  to  make  you  prevent  a  mother  from  being 
so  foolish  as  I  have  been. 

"  Now,  Jack,  listen  to  me ;  mine  is  an  old  story ;  but  in 
most  cases  the  consequences  have  not  been  so  fatal.  I 
shall  not  tell  you  my  name ;  it  was  once  a  fair  one,  but 
now  tarnished.  I  was  the  only  daughter  of  a  merchant 
and  shipowner,  a  rich  man,  and  the  first  person  in  conse- 
quence in  the  seaport  town  where  I  was  born  and  brought 
up.  I  never  knew  my  mother,  who  died  a  year  after  I 
was  born.  I  was  brought  up  as  most  girls  are  who  have 
no  mother  or  brothers ;  in  short,  I  was  much  indulged  by 
my  father,  and  flattered  by  other  people.  I  was  well 
educated,  as  you  may  suppose  ;  and,  moreover,  what  you 
may  not  credit  quite  so  easily,  I  was  very  handsome.  In 
short,  I  was  a  beauty  and  a  fortune,  at  the  head  of  the 
society  of  the  place,  caressed,  indulged,  and  flattered  by 
all.  This,  if  it  did  not  spoil  me,  at  least  made  me  wilful. 
I  had  many  offers,  and  many  intended  offers,  which  I 
nipped  in  the  bud  j  and  I  was  twenty-three  before  I  saw 
anyone  who  pleased  me.  At  last,  a  vessel  came  in  con- 
signed to  the  house,  and  the  captain  was  invited  to  dinner. 
He  was  a  handsome  careless  young  man,  constantly  talking 
about  the  qualities  of  his  ship;  and,  to  my  surprise,  paying 
me  little  or  none  of  that  attention  which  I  now  considered 
as  my  due.  This  piqued  me,  and  in  the  end  I  set  my 
affections  on  him  :  either  he  did  not  or  would  not  perceive 
it,  and  he  sailed  without  showing  me  any  preference.  In 
six  months  he  returned ;  and  whether  it  was  that  he  was 
told  of  by  others,  or  at  last  perceived,  my  feelings  towards 
him,  he  joined  the  crowd  of  suitors,  made  a  proposal  in  his 
off-hand  manner,  as  if  he  was  indifferent  as  to  my  reply, 
and  was  accepted.  My  father,  to  whom  he  communicated 
the  intelligence  as  carelessly  as  if  he  were  talking  about 
freight,  did  not  approve  of  the  match.  '  Very  well,* 
replied  he,  '  I  shall  say  no  more ;  as  long  as  a  man  has  a 
ship,  he  does  not  want  a  wife.'  He  returned  and  stated 
what  had  passed,  and  my  father  also  spoke  to  me.     I  was 


2  14  Poor  Jack 

self-willed  and  determined,  and  my  father  yielded.  We 
were  married  j  and  I  certainly  had  no  reason  to  complain 
of  my  husband,  who  was  very  kind  to  me.  But  I  was 
jealous  of,  what  do  you  think  ?  of  his  ship  !  for  he  cared 
more  for  it  than  he  did  for  me  :  and  three  months  after  our 
marriage,  notwithstanding  all  my  tears  and  entreaties,  and 
the  expostulations  of  my  father,  he  would  sail  again.  He 
offered  to  take  me  with  him,  and  I  would  gladly  have 
gone ;  but  my  father  would  not  listen  to  it.  He  sailed, 
and  I  never  saw  him  again  ;  his  vessel,  with  all  hands, 
foundered,  with  many. others,  in  a  heavy  gale.  The  news 
did  not  arrive  until  many  months  afterwards  ;  and  I  had 
not  been  a  mother  more  than  six  weeks  when  I  found  that 
I  was  a  widow.  I  have  passed  all  this  over  quickly.  Jack, 
because  it  is  of  less  moment — my  trials  had  not  com- 
menced. 

"  The  loss  of  my  husband,  as  may  be  supposed,  only 
endeared  my  child  the  more  to  me,  and  I  wept  over  him  as 
he  smiled  upon  me  in  his  cradle.  My  father  had  reverses 
in  his  business,  but  those  I  cared  little  for.  He  did,  how- 
ever :  he  had  been  the  richest  man  in  the  town,  he  was 
now  comparatively  poor ;  his  pride  was  crushed  y  it  broke 
his  heart,  and  he  died ;  the  whole  of  his  assets  at  the 
winding  up  of  his  affairs  not  exceeding  ten  thousand 
pounds.  This  was,  however,  quite  enough,  and  more 
than  enough,  for  me.  I  thought  but  of  one  object — it  was 
my  darling  boy  5  he  represented  to  me  all  I  had  lost ;  in 
him  I  saw  my  husband,  father,  and  everything.  I  lived 
but  for  him.  He  was  my  idolatry,  Jack.  I  worshipped 
the  creature  instead  of  the  Creator. 

"As  he  grew  up,  I  indulged  him  in  everything  ;  he 
never  was  checked ;  I  worried  myself  day  and  night  to 
please  him,  and  yet  he  never  was  pleased.  He  was  so 
spoilt  that  he  did  not  know  what  he  wanted.  He  was  a 
misery  to  himself  and  all  about  him,  except  to  me,  who 
was  so  blinded  by  my  love.  As  he  advanced  to  manhood, 
his  temper  showed  itself  to  be  violent  and  uncontrollable ; 
he  was  the  terror  of  others,  and  prudent  people  would 


Poor  Jack  215 

shake  their  heads  and  prophesy.  He  would  not  submit  to 
any  profession  ;  the  only  wish  that  he  had  was  to  go  to 
sea,  and  that  was  my  terror.  I  implored  him  on  my  knees 
not  to  think  of  it,  but  in  vain  ;  at  first  he  used  to  threaten 
when  he  wanted  money  for  his  extravagances,  and  it  was 
a  sure  way  to  obtain  it  j  but  one  day  I  discovered  that  he 
had  quitted  the  port  without  saying  farewell,  and  that  he 
had  sailed  in  a  vessel  bound  to  the  coast  of  Africa.  A 
short  letter  and  a  heavy  bill  was  received  from  Portsmouth, 
and  I  did  not  hear  of  him  for  two  years.  I  was  heart- 
broken, but  not  weaned  from  him  ;  I  counted  the  days  for 
his  return.  At  last  he  came — browned  by  the  climate,  full 
of  oaths,  savage  in  his  bearing,  and  occasionally  referring 
to  scenes  which  made  me  shudder.  But  he  was  my  son, 
my  only  son,  and  I  loved  him  as  much  as  ever.  He  was 
now  but  seldom  at  home,  for  he  lived  almost  at  the  gaming 
tables ;  if  he  came  to  me,  it  was  to  extort  money,  and  he 
never  failed.  I  sold  out  my  property  to  support  his  extra- 
vagance, and  by  degrees  it  was  rapidly  diminishing.  I 
begged  him,  I  entreated  him,  to  be  more  prudent  j  but  he 
laughed,  and  promised  to  return  me  all  the  first  lucky  hit 
he  should  make ;  but  that  lucky  hit  never  came,  and  at 
last  I  had  but  two  thousand  pounds  left.  This  I  positively 
refused  to  part  with,  the  interest  of  it  was  barely  sufficient 
for  my  wants ;  I  asked  no  more, — but  I  expostulated  and 
I  reasoned  with  him  in  vain.  He  only  begged  me  for  five 
hundred  pounds ;  if  I  sold  the  money  out,  he  would  tell 
me  where  I  might  have  as  good  interest  for  the  fifteen 
hundred  pounds  as  I  now  received  for  the  two  thousand 
pounds.  He  begged  and  entreated  me,  he  kissed,  and  he 
even  wept  j  I  could  not  withstand  his  importunities.  I 
sold  out  the  money,  and  gave  him  the  sum  he  wanted;  the 
fifteen  hundred  pounds  I  put  by  in  my  desk,  to  invest  as 
he  had  pointed  out.  That  very  night  he  forced  the  lock, 
took  out  the  money,  and  left  me  without  a  sixpence  in  the 
world." 

**  What  a  villain  !  "  exclaimed  I. 

"  Yes,  you  may  say  so.  Jack ;  but  who  made  him  such 


2, 1 6  Poor  Jack 

a  villain,  but  his  foolish  doting  mother  ?  Had  I  done  him 
justice,  had  I  checked  him  when  young,  had  I  brought  him 
up  as  I  ought  to  have  done,  he  might  now  have  been  a 
happiness  and  a  blessing  to  his  mother.  I  was  the  person 
to  blame,  not  he ;  and  many  years  of  anguish  have  I 
lamented  my  folly  and  my  wretchedness." 

"  You  loved  him  too  much,  mother  j  but  it  was  a  fault 
on  the  right  side." 

"  No,  Jack,  that  is  an  error  of  yours ;  it  was  a  fault  on 
the  wrong  side.  There  is  no  credit  to  a  mother  in  loving 
her  children,  for  she  cannot  help  it.  It  is  a  natural  instinct 
implanted  in  the  mother's  heart  by  the  Almighty,  and,  in 
following  this  instinct,  we  do  no  more  than  the  beasts  of 
the  field.  The  duty  of  a  mother  is  to  check  that  feeling 
as  far  as  it  interferes  with  the  happiness  and  well-doing 
of  her  children ;  and  it  is  her  duty  to  do  so,  and  to 
punish  herself  in  correcting  her  children.  Jack,  it  is  a 
selfish  feeling  which  induces  mothers  to  spoil  their 
children." 

**  At  all  events,  my  mother  has  never  spoilt  me," 
replied  I. 

"  No,  Jack,  she  has  not ;  but  observe  the  consequence. 
You  said  just  now  that  excessive  tenderness  was  a  fault  on 
the  right  side ;  now,  how  completely  have  you  proved  the 
contrary !  I  do  not  intend  to  defend  your  mother's 
conduct  towards  you  -,  she  has  been  unkind  to  you  in  your 
childhood,  and  has  never  shown  the  affection  that  a  mother 
ought ;  but  is  not  her  fault  a  fault  on  the  right  side  ?  Jack, 
you  recollect  my  saying  '  what  a  difference,'  when  you  told 
me  what  you  had  done  for  your  mother ;  I  then  referred 
to  my  son  and  to  you.  I  indulged  him  in  everything, 
sacrificed  everything,  and  he  robbed  me  and  left  me  a 
beggar.  Your  mother  has  been  severe  upon  you,  and  yet, 
the  first  time  you  have  the  means  of  showing  your  duty, 
you  give  her  all  the  money  you  have  in  the  world.  Your 
mother  may  not  be  right,  Jack,  but  I  was  dreadfully 
wrong,  and  the  result  has  proved  it." 

"Well,  mother,  go  on,  pray." 


Poor  Jack  217 

**  My  story  is  now  soon  told.  I  struggled  on  how  I 
could,  for  more  than  two  years,  by  selling  my  furniture 
and  a  few  ornaments  :  then  the  blow  came.  When  I  heard 
it,  I  would  not  remain  in  the  town ;  I  left  for  London, 
picked  up  my  living  how  I  could  and  where  I  could,  till  at 
last  I  came  down  here.  Time  was  as  a  dream  ;  reflection 
was  too  painful.  I  felt  that  it  was  all  my  fault,  all  my 
own  doing.  My  heart  became  hardened,  and  continued  so 
till  I  loved  you.  Jack ;  and  now  I  have  better  feelings,  at 
least  I  think  so." 

"  But,  mother,  what  was  the  blow  ?     Is  he  dead  ? " 

'*  Yes,  Jack,  dead — dead  on  the  gibbet.  He  was 
hanged  for  piracy,  at  Port  Royal,  Jamaica. — Jack,"  said 
Nanny,  seizing  my  hand,  and  pressing  it  in  her  long 
fingers,  '*  this  is  a  secret ;  recollect,  a  secret  deep  as  the 
grave  ;  promise  me,  as  you  hope  for  heaven  !  " 

"  I  do,  mother,  as  I  hope  for  heaven." 

**Now,  Jack,  leave  me.  Good-bye.  You  will  come 
and  see  me  when  you  return,  and  never  bring  this  subject 
up  again.     Bless  you,  my  child  !  bless  you  !  " 

I  left  poor  old  Nanny  with  her  face  buried  in  her  apron ; 
and  it  was  in  a  very  melancholy  mood  that  I  returned 
home  J  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  picture  in  the 
spelling-book,  where  the  young  man  at  the  gallows  is 
biting  off  the  ear  of  his  mother,  who,  by  her  indulgence, 
had  brought  him  to  that  disgrace. 


Chapter  XXX 

Strong  symptoms  of  mutiny,  which  is   fortunately  quelled  by  granting 

a  supply. 

It  was  a  beautiful  sunshiny  warm  morning  when  I  arose, 
and,  as  Bramble  intended  that  we  should  leave  Greenwich 
the  next  day,  I  thought  I  might  as  well  call  at  the  house 
of  Doctor  Tadpole,  and  try  if  I  could  see  him  before  I 
went.     When  I  arrived  there,  he  was  not  at  home,  but 


2i8  Poor  Jack 

my  namesake  Tom  was,  as  usual,  in  the  shop.  Tom  was 
two  or  three  years  older  than  me,  being  between  seventeen 
and  eighteen,  and  he  had  now  grown  a  great  tall  fellow. 
We  always  were  very  good  friends,  when  we  occasionally 
met,  and  he  generally  appeared  to  be  as  good  tempered 
and  grinning  as  ever ;  but  when  I  now  entered  the  shop, 
I  found  him  very  grave  and  dejected,  so  much  so  that  I 
could  not  help  asking  him  what  was  the  matter. 

"  Matter  enough,  I  think,"  said  Tom,  who  was  pounding 
something  in  the  mortar.  "  I'll  not  stay  here,  that's  flat. 
I'll  break  my  indentures,  as  sure  as  my  name's  Tom  Cob, 
and  I'll  set  up  an  opposition,  and  I'll  join  the  Friends  of 
the  People  Society,  and  the  Anti-Bible  Society,  and  every 
other  opposition  Anti  in  the  country." 

"Why,  what  has  happened,  Tom?" 

"I'll  make  speeches  against  Church  and  against  State, 
and  against  the  Aristocracy,  and  Habeas  Corpus,  and 
against  Physic,  and  against  Standing  Armies,  and  Magna 
Charta,  and  every  other  rascally  tyranny  and  oppression 
to  which  we  are  subjected ;  that  I  will."  Here  Tom  gave 
such  a  thump  with  the  pestle,  that  I  thought  he  would 
have  split  the  mortar. 

*'  But  what  is  it,  Tom  ? "  inquired  I,  as  I  sat  down. 
"  What  has  the  Doctor  done  ? " 

**  Why,  I'll  tell  you ;  the  liquorice  is  all  gone,  and  he 
won't  order  any  more." 

"  Well,  that  is  because  you  have  eaten  it  all." 

**  No,  I  haven't  j  I  haven't  eaten  a  bit  for  these  five 
weeks :  it's  all  been  used  in  pharmacopey,  honestly  used, 
and  he  can't  deny  it." 

"  Who  used  it .? " 

"  Why,  I  did ;  he  said  he  wouldn't  stand  my  eating 
liquorice,  and  I  told  him  that  I  shouldn't  eat  any  more. 
No  more  I  have,  but  I  a'n't  well,  and  I  prescribes  for 
myself.  Haven't  I  a  right  to  do  that  ?  Mayn't  I  physic 
myself?  I'm  a  doctor  as  well  as  he  is.  Who  makes  up 
all  the  medicine,  I  should  like  to  know  ?  who  ties  up  the 
bottles,  and  writes  directions  ?     Well,  my  insides  are  out 


Poor  Jack  219 

of  order,  and  I  prescribes  for  myself — black  draughts 
'  omnes  duas  horas  sumendum ; '  and  now  he  says,  that, 
as  the  ingredients  are  all  gone,  I  shan't  take  any  more." 

"  And  pray  what  were  the  ingredients,  Tom  ?" 

"  Why,  laxative  and  alterative,  as  suits  my  complaint — 
Extract,  liquor. — aqua  pura — haustus." 

"  And  what  is  that  ? " 

"  Liquorice  and  water,  to  be  sure ;  there's  nothing  else  I 
can  take :  I've  tasted  everything  in  the  shop,  from  plate 
powder  to  aqua  fortis,  and  everything  goes  against  my 
stomach." 

"Well,  Tom,  it's  a  hard  case;  but  perhaps  the  Doctor 
will  think  better  of  it." 

*'He'd  better,  or  I'll  set  up  for  myself,  for  I  won't 
stand  it  any  longer ;  it  a'n't  only  for  myself  but  for  others 
that  I  care.  Why,  Fve  a  hankering  for  Anny  Whistle 
(you  know  her,  don't  you .'')  a  pretty  little  girl  with  red 
lips — lives  in  Church  Street.  Well,  as  long  as  I  could 
bring  her  a  bit  of  liquorice  when  I  went  to  see  her,  all 
was  smooth  enough,  and  I  got  many  a  kiss  when  no  one 
was  nigh ;  but  now  that  I  can't  fork  out  a  bit  as  big  as  a 
marble,  she's  getting  quite  shy  of  me,  and  is  always 
walking  with  Bill,  the  butcher's  boy.  I  know  he  gives 
her  bulls'-eyes — I  seed  him  one  day  buying  a  ha'porth. 
Now,  a'n't  that  hard  ? " 

"  Why,  certainly,  the  affair  becomes  serious ;  but  still, 
how  you  are  to  set  up  for  yourself  I  don't  know.  You  are 
not  qualified." 

•'  O  !  a'n't  I  ?  just  as  much  as  most  doctors  are.  There 
must  be  a  beginning,  and  if  I  gives  wrong  medicine  at 
first,  then  I'll  try  another,  and  so  on  until  I  come  to  what 
will  cure  them.     Soon  learn,  Tom." 

**  Well,  but  how  will  you  do  about  surgery  ? " 

"  Surgery,  oh  I'll  do  very  well — don't  know  much  about 
it  just  now — soon  learn." 

"Why,  would  you  venture  to  take  off  a  man's  leg, 
Tom  ?  do  you  know  how  to  take  up  the  arteries  }  " 

*'  Would  I  take  off  a  man's  leg  ?  to  be  sure  I  would,  as 


220  Poor  Jack 

quick  as  the  doctor  could.  As  for  the  arteries,  why  I 
might  puzzle  a  little  about  them  ;  but,  by  the  time  I  had 
taken  off  three  or  four  legs,  I  should  know  something 
about  them.     Practice  makes  perfect — soon  learn,  Tom." 

"  But  all  your  first  patients  would  die." 

**  I  don't  know  that.  At  all  events  I  should  do  my  best, 
and  no  man  can  do  more ;  and  if  they  did  die,  why  it 
would  be  by  the  visitation  of  God,  wouldn't  it .? " 

"  Not  altogether,  I'm  afraid.     It  won't  do,  Tom." 

•*  It  has  done  from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  and  will 
do.  I  say  there's  no  learning  without  practice — people 
spoil  at  first  in  every  trade,  and  make  afterwards ;  and  a 
man  a'n't  born  a  doctor  any  more  than  he  is  a  carpenter." 

"No;  but,  if  I  recollect  right,  to  be  a  surgeon  you 
ought  to  walk  the  hospital,  as  they  term  it." 

"  Well,  and  haven't  I  for  these  last  four  years  ?  When 
I  carries  out  my  basket  of  physic,  I  walks  the  hospital  right 
through,  twice  at  least  every  day  in  the  week." 

"  That's  Greenwich  Hospital." 

"Well,  so  it  is;  and  plenty  of  surgical  cases  in  it. 
However,  the  doctor  and  I  must  come  to  a  proper  under- 
standing :  I  didn't  clean  his  boots  this  morning.  I  wish, 
if  you  see  him,  Tom,  you'd  reason  with  him  a  little." 

'*  I'll  see  what  I  can  do  ;  but  don't  be  rash.  Good-bye, 
Tom ;  mind  you  tell  the  doctor  that  I  called." 

"  Well,  I  will ;  but  that's  not  in  my  indentures." 

I  called  in  at  the  widow's  after  I  left  the  doctor's  shop, 
and  communicated  the  intended  rebellion  on  the  part  of 
Tom. 

"Well,"  said  Mrs  St  Felix,  "  I  shall  not  forget  to  make 
the  Spanish  claim,  and  prevent  Tom  from  walking  Spanish. 
The  doctor  is  very  inconsiderate ;  he  forgets  that  Tom's 
regard  for  liquorice  is  quite  as  strong  as  his  own  liking 
for  a  cigar.  Now,  if  the  doctor  don't  promise  me  to  have 
a  fresh  supply  for  Tom,  I  won't  let  him  have  a  cigar  for 
himself." 

The  doctor  was  compelled  to  surrender  at  discretion. 
The  next  wagon  brought  down   one   hundredweight   of 


Poor  Jack  221 

liquorice,  and  Tom  recovered  his  health  and  the  smiles  of 
Ann}'  Whistle. 

When  I  left  the  widow's  I  proceeded  to  the  Hospital,  to 
find  Anderson  and  my  father.  As  I  walked  along  I  per- 
ceived Dick  Harness  on  a  bench,  who  hailed  me. 

"  Well,  Tom,  I  haven't  seen  anything  of  you  for  I  don't 
know  how  long,  since  you've  taken  to  a  seafaring  life. 
This  is  a  beautiful  day,  is  it  not  ?  it  makes  one  feel  so 
happy  and  cheerful  such  a  day  as  this.  Everybody  and 
everything  looks  gay  j  the  birds  seem  so  merry,  and  the 
little  clouds  seem  to  scud  away  as  if  their  hearts  were  as 
light  as  themselves.  Come,  sit  down  a  minute  j  here's  a 
song  for  you  you've  never  heard — one  I  don't  often  sing, 
because  they  say  it's  all  about  myself." 

"  Well,  then,  I  should  like  to  hear  that." 

•''  Here  goes,  then  : — 

"  Sam  Swipes,  he  was  a  seaman  true, 
As  brave  and  bold  a  tar 
As  e'er  was  dressed  in  navy  blue 
On  board  a  man-of-war. 

One  fault  he  had — on  sea  or  land 
He  was  a  thirsty  dog, 
For  Sammy  never  could  withstand 
A  glass  or  so  of  grog. 

He  always  liked  to  be  at  sea, 
For  e'en  on  shore,  the  rover, 
If  not  as  drunk  as  he  could  be. 
Was  always  '  half  seas  over. ' 

The  gunner,  who  was  apt  to  scofF, 
With  jokes  most  aptly  timed. 
Said,  Sam  might  any  day  go  off, 
'Cause  he  was  always  '  primed.' 

Sam  didn't  want  a  feeling  heart, 
Though  never  seen  to  cry, 
Yet  tears  were  always  on  the  start, 
'The  drop  was  in  his  eye.' 

At  fighting,  Sam  was  never  shy, 
A  most  undoubted  merit ; 
His  courage  never  failed,  and  why — 
He  was  so  full  of '  spirit.' 


222  Poor  Jack 

In  action  he  had  lost  an  eye, 
But  that  gave  him  no  trouble.— 
Quoth  Sam,  I  have  no  cause  to  sigh, 
I'm  always  •  seeing  double.' 

A  shot  from  an  unlucky  gun 

Put  Sam  on  timber  pegs ; 

It  didn't  signify  to  one 

Who  ne'er  could  '  keep  his  legs.' 

One  night  he  filled  a  pail  with  grog, 
Determined  he  would  suck  it ; 
He  drained  it  dry, — the  thirsty  dog ! 
Hiccupped — and  '  kicked  the  bucket.' " 

"  There's  Bill's  fiddle,  Dick,"  said  I,  getting  up  j  "I 
thought  you  would  bring  him  out." 

"  Yes,  I  was  sure  of  that  j  I'll  sing  another  verse  or 
two,  and  then  be  ofF  to  the  Park,  and  leave  him  in  the 
lurch." 

"I  can't  wait  any  more,  Dick;  I  must  go  to  my  father," 
said  I. 

"Well,  off  with  you  then,  and  I'm  off  too.  Sing  tura 
la,  tura  la,  tura  lura  la.  Bill's  coming  down.  How 
savage  the  nigger  will  be  !  " 


Chapter   XXXI 

In  which  my  father  proves  he  can  give  good   advice   as  well   as   Peter 
Anderson. 

I  FOUND  my  father  under  the  colonnade,  and  inquired  of 
him  if  Anderson  was  there. 

"No,  he's  not,"  replied  my  father;  "he  has  been  sent 
for  by  the  officers ;  so  stop,  Tom,  that  is,  if  you  can  spare 
a  minute  for  your  own  father." 

"  Of  course  I  can,"  replied  I,  taking  my  seat  by  him. 

"  Why,  you  see,  boy,"  said  my  father,  "  I  have  but 
very  little  of  your  company  ;  and  I  feel  it,  Tom,  I  do 
indeed.  I'm  not  jealous,  and  I  know  that  Peter  Anderson 
has  done  more  for  you    than   ever   I   could,  for  I've  no 


Poor  Jack  223 

laming  to  signify ;  but  still,  Tom,  I  am  your  father,  and 
I  don't  think  Peter,  although  he  may  be  proud  of  your 
turning  out  so  well,  can  feel  exactly  for  you  what  a  father 
does.  I'm  proud  enough  of  you.  Heaven  knows  ;  and  it 
does  hurt  me  a  little  when  I  find  that,  whenever  you 
come  here,  it  is  for  Peter  Anderson,  and  it  makes  me 
wish  sometimes  that  I  had  been  Peter  Anderson  instead  of 
your  father." 

*•  Indeed,  father,"  replied  I,  "  I  hope  you  don't  think 
that  I  like  Anderson  better  than  I  do  you ;  but  you 
recollect  that  I  have  been  accustomed  all  my  life  to  take 
his  advice." 

"  I  know  it,  boy,  I  know  it.  I  was  serving  my  country, 
and  doing  my  duty  on  board  of  a  king's  ship,  and  you 
were  left  here,  and  therefore  lucky  it  was  that  you  fell  in 
with  old  Peter  •,  but,  Tom,  I  could  not  be  in  two  places 
at  the  same  time,  and  if  I  did  not  do  my  duty  as  a  father 
towards  you,  at  all  events  I  was  doing  my  duty  to  my 
country." 

**  To  be  sure  you  were,  and  it  was  of  more  importance 
than  looking  after  a  brat  like  me,"  replied  I,  soothingly ; 
for  I  really  never  had  the  idea  that  my  father  could  have 
showed  so  much  feeling. 

"  Why,  Tom,  I  can't  say  that  I  thought  so ;  for  the 
fact  is,  I  didn't  think  about  it ;  indeed,  I  thought  about 
nothing.  Sailors  afloat  have  little  time  to  think :  they 
can't  think  when  it's  their  watch  on  deck,  for  they  are  too 
busy ;  nor  at  their  watch  below,  for  they're  too  tired ;  nor 
at  meal  times,  for  they  must  look  after  their  share  of  the 
victuals ;  indeed,  there  is  not  any  time  to  think  on  board 
ship,  and  that's  a  fact.  But,  Tom,  since  Fve  been  laid  up 
here  I  have  thought  a  good  deal ;  all  is  calm  and  quiet, 
and  one  day  passes  just  like  the  other,  and  no  fear  of 
interruption  when  one  don't  wish  it ;  and  I  have  thought  a 
good  deal.  At  first  I  thought  it  a  hard  case  to  be  shoved 
on  the  shelf  at  my  age  j  but  I  don't  think  so  now ;  I'm 
quite  satisfied." 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  father." 


224  Poor  Jack 

**  Yes,  Tom ;  and  then,  you  see,  when  I  was  afloat,  I 
didn't  think  any  good  of  your  mother,  and  I  was  glad  to 
keep  out  of  her  way  j  and  then  I  didn't  care  about  my 
children,  for  I  didn't  know  them  ;  but  now  I've  other 
thoughts,  Tom.  I  don't  think  your  mother  so  bad,  after 
all :  to  be  sure,  she  looks  down  upon  me  'cause  I'm  not 
genteel ;  but  I  suppose  I  ar'n't,  and  she  has  been  used  to 
the  company  of  gentlefolks  ;  besides  she  works  hard,  and 
now  that  I  don't  annoy  her  by  getting  tipsy,  as  I  used  to 
do,  at  all  events  she's  civil ;  and  then  I  never  knew  what 
it  was  to  have  children  until  I  came  here,  and  found 
Virginia  and  you  ;  and  I'm  proud  of  you  both,  and  love 
you  both  better  than  anything  on  earth  ;  and,  although  I 
may  not  be  so  well  brought  up  or  so  well  taught  as  you 
both  are,  still,  Tom,  I'm  your  father,  and  all  I  can  say  is, 
I  wish  for  your  sakes  I  was  better  than  I  am." 

"  Don't  say  so,  father  5  you  know  that  Virginia  and  I 
are  both  as  fond  of  you  as  you  are  of  us." 

"  "Well,  mayhap  you  are ;  I  don't  say  no :  you  are  both 
good  children,  and  at  all  events  would  try  to  like  me ;  but 
still  I  do  feel  that  you  can't  look  up  to  me  exactly ;  but 
that's  my  misfortune,  Tom,  more  than  my  fault.  I  haven't 
larning  like  Anderson,  or  gentility  like  your  mother :  I've 
only  a  true  heart  to  offer  to  you.  You  see,  Tom,  I've  said 
all  this  because  you  are  always  after  Anderson ;  not  but 
that  I  like  Anderson,  for  he's  a  good  man,  and  has  been  of 
sarvice  to  me,  and  I  don't  think  he  would  ever  say  any- 
thing to  you  that  would  make  you  think  less  of  me." 

**  No,  indeed,  father ;  on  the  contrary,  I  once  asked  him 
his  opinion  about  you,  and  he  spoke  most  highly  of  you ; 
and  whenever  I  go  to  him  for  advice,  he  always  sends  me 
to  you  to  approve  of  what  he  has  said." 

"Well,  he  is  a  good  man,  and  I'm  very  sorry  to  have 
any  feeling  of  envy  in  me,  that's  the  truth ;  but  still  a 
father  must  have  a  father's  feelings.  Don't  let  us  say 
anything  more  about  it,  Tom ;  only  try  next  time,  when 
you  want  advice,  whether  I  can't  give  it.  You  can  always 
go  to  Peter  afterwards,  and  see  whether  I'm  right  or  wrong." 


Poor  Jack  225 

*'  I  will  indeed,  my  dear  father,  now  I  know  that  you 
wish  it." 

I  never  felt  so  warm  towards  my  father  as  after  this 
conversation ;  there  was  so  much  affection  towards  me, 
and  yet  so  much  humility  shown  by  him,  as  respected 
himself,  that  I  was  quite  touched  with  it,  and  I  began  to 
think  that  he  really  had  had  occasion  to  complain,  and  that 
I  had  not  treated  him  with  that  respect  which  he  deserved. 

**  Now,  Tom,  I've  something  to  say  to  you.  When 
Anderson,  Bramble,  and  I  were  taking  a  pipe  together  last 
night,  Bramble  said  that  he  had  a  letter  from  the  captain 
of  the  Indiaman,  offering  you  a  berth  on  board  as  guinea- 
pig,  or  midshipman.  He  said  that  he  had  not  shown  it  to 
you  as  yet,  because  it  was  of  no  use,  as  he  was  sure  you 
would  not  accept  it.  Well,  Anderson  and  I  said  that  at 
least  you  ought  to  know  it,  and  have  the  refusal ;  and 
your  mother  pricked  up  her  ears  and  said,  that  it  was 
much  more  genteel  than  being  a  pilot ,  so  I  now  put  the 
question  to  you." 

"  Thank  you,  father ;  but  Bramble  was  right.  I  shall 
not  accept  of  it,  although  I  am  much  obliged  to  the 
captain." 

Here  my  father  stopped  me.  "  First,  Tom,"  said  he, 
"  we  must  overhaul  the  pros  and  cons,  as  people  call  them. 
Old  Anderson  weighed  them  very  closely,  and  now  you 
shall  hear  them."  Here  my  father  commenced  a  long 
story,  with  which  I  shall  not  tire  the  reader,  as  to  the 
prospects  on  either  side ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had  finished, 
I  replied — 

"  That  all  he  said  was  very  true ;  but  that  I  had  made 
up  my  mind  that,  if  ever  I  were  regularly  to  serve,  it  should 
be  in  a  man-of-war,  not  in  a  merchant  vessel ;  that  it  was 
certainly  possible  that  I  might,  after  serving  many  years, 
become  a  captain  of  an  Indiaman,  which  was  a  high  position, 
but  I  preferred  being  a  pilot,  and  more  my  own  master ; 
that  if  there  were  no  other  objections,  that  of  being  absent 
for  three  years  at  a  time  from  him  and  Virginia  would  be 
more  than  sufficient ;  and  that  I  was  very  happy  where  I 
P.J.  F 


226  Poor  Jack 

was,  as  Bramble  and  little  Bessy  were  almost  equal  to 
another  father  and  another  sister.  A  rolling  stone  gathers 
no  moss,  they  say,  father.  I  have  entered  into  the  pilot 
service,  and  in  that  I  hope  to  remain." 

"Well,  you're  right,  Tom;  Bramble  said  you  would  decide 
so.  There's  nothing  like  being  contented  with  what  we 
are  and  what  we  have  got." 

"  I  might  probably  become  a  richer  man  if  I  were  to  be 
a  captain  of  an  Indiaman,"  observed  I ;  "  but  I'm  sure  if 
ever  I'm  able  to  buy  a  little  farm,  as  Bramble  is  now  able 
to  do,  I  shall  think  myself  quite  rich  enough." 

"  You  see,  Tom,  it  all  depends  upon  what  people's  ideas 
are.  One  man  thinks  himself  rich  with  what  another 
would  think  that  he  was  a  beggar.  Now  I  dare  say  old 
Nanny  thinks  that  shop  of  old  iron  and  rubbish  that  she  has 
got  together,  the  finest  shop  in  all  Greenwich." 

"  I  believe  she  does,  and  the  prettiest,"  replied  I, 
laughing. 

"  Well  now,  Tom,  an  odd  thing  happened  the  other  day 
while  you  were  away,  just  to  prove  how  true  that  is.  You 
may  recollect  a  little  old  man  in  our  ward,  Phil  Nobbs  they 
called  him,  who  walked  with  his  chin  half  a  yard  before 
him.  Well,  he  took  to  the  sick  ward  and  died,  since  you 
have  been  gone.  I  went  to  see  him  of  course,  and  he  was 
always  talking  about  his  property ;  and  none  of  us  knew 
where  it  was,  but  we  supposed  that  he  had  it  somewhere. 
One  day,  as  I  was  sitting  by  his  bed,  he  says,  '  Saunders, 
the  doctor's  coming  round,  just  tell  him  I  want  to  make 
my  will,  for  I  feel  as  if  I  were  slipping  my  wind.*  Well, 
the  doctor  and  the  chaplain  both  came  to  his  bedside  with 
the  paper,  and  Nobbs  raised  himself  on  his  elbow,  and  said, 
'  Are  you  ready,  sir .?  Well,  then,  I'll  make  short  work 
of  it.  This  is  my  last  will  and  testament :  first,  I  wish  a 
white  pall  over  me  when  I'm  buried,  and  that  expense  must 
be  deducted  j  after  which  I  bequeath  to  my  nephews  and 
nieces,  James  Strong,  Walter  Strong,  Ellen  Strong,  Mary 
Williams,  the  one  married,  Peter  Strong,  all  of  Rotherhithe, 
and  to  Thomas  Day,  Henry  Day,  and  Nicholas  Day,  of 


Poor  Jack  227 

Eitham,  the  whole  of  my  money  and  personal  eiFects,  share 
and  share  alike ^  equally  divided  among  them  all.  There, 
sir,  that  will  do.  I  can't  write,  but  I'll  put  my  cross  to  it.' 
Well,  the  old  fellow  died  that  night,  and  notice  of  his  will 
was  sent  to  his  nephews  and  nieces,  who  all  came  on  the 
day  of  his  burial  dressed  in  their  best,  for  they  were  all 
mechanics  and  labourers,  poor  people,  to  whom,  I  suppose, 
a  legacy  was  a  great  object.  The  chaplain  had  asked  Nobbs 
where  his  money  was,  and  he  replied  that  it  was  in  the 

hands  of  Lieutenant ,  who  knew  all  about  his  affairs. 

After  the  funeral,  they  all  went  in  a  body  to  the  lieutenant, 
who  stated  that  he  had  ten  shillings  belonging  to  Nobbs, 
out  of  which,  seven  shillings  were  to  be  deducted  for  the 
white  pall ;  and  that,  as  for  his  other  effects,  they  must  be 
in  his  cabin,  as  he  never  heard  of  his  having  anything  but 
what  was  there.  So  we  went  to  his  cabin,  and  there  we 
found  five  or  six  penny  prints  against  the  wall,  two  pair 
of  old  canvas  trousers,  and  an  old  hat,  six  cups  and  saucers, 
cracked  and  mended ;  and  this  was  all  his  property,  alto- 
gether not  worth  (with  the  three  shillings)  more  than  seven 
or  eight  at  the  outside,  if  so  much.  You  may  guess  the 
disappointment  of  his  nephews  and  nieces,  who  had  lost  a 
good  day's  work,  and  come  so  far  for  nothing  ;  and  I  must 
say  they  were  not  very  dutiful  in  their  remarks  upon  their 
old  uncle  as  they  walked  off.  Now  you  see,  Tom,  this  old 
fellow  had  been  in  the  Hospital  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
and  had  been  able  to  save  no  more  than  what  he  had  out  of 
his  shilling  per  week,  and  in  his  eyes  this  small  property 
was  very  large,  for  it  was  the  saving  of  twenty  years.  He 
thought  so,  poor  fellow,  because  he  probably  had  never 
saved  so  many  shillings  in  his  life.  There  was  no  joking 
about  it,  I  can  assure  you." 

"  Well,  father,  I  hope  I  may  be  able  to  save  more  than 
seven  shillings  before  I  die,  but  no  one  knows.  I  have 
made  my  decision  as  I  think  for  the  best,  and  we  must 
leave  the  rest  to  Providence.  We  never  know  whether 
we  do  right  or  wrong." 

"  Never,  Jack  j    things  which   promise  well  turn   out 


2  28  Poor  Jack 

bad,  and  things  which  look  very  bad  often  turn  out  just 
as  well.  I  recollect  an  instance  which  was  told  me, 
which  I'll  give  you  as  a  proof  that  we  never  know 
what  is  best  for  us  in  this  world.  A  man  may  plan, 
and  scheme,  and  think,  in  his  blindness,  that  he  has 
arranged  everything  so  nicely  that  nothing  can  fail,  and 
down  he  lies  on  his  bed,  and  goes  to  sleep  quite  satisfied 
that  affairs  must  turn  out  well  as  he  has  ordered  them, 
forgetting  that  Providence  disposes  as  it  thinks  fit.  There 
was  a  gentleman  by  birth,  of  the  name  of  Seton,  who 
lived  at  Greenock ;  he  was  very  poor,  and,  although  he 
had  high  friends  and  relations  well-to-do,  he  was  too 
proud  to  ask  for  assistance.  His  wife  was  equally  proud  j 
and  at  last  one  day  he  died,  leaving  her  with  hardly  a 
penny,  and  two  fine  boys,  of  the  names  of  Archibald  and 
Andrew.  Well,  the  widow  struggled  on  5  how  she  lived 
no  one  knew,  but  she  fed  the  boys  and  herself,  and  was 
just  as  stately  as  ever.  Her  relations  did  offer  to  educate 
the  boys,  and  send  them  to  sea,  but  she  refused  all  assist- 
ance. There  was  a  foundation  or  chartered  school  at 
Greenock,  to  which  she  was  entitled  to  send  her  children 
to  be  educated  without  expense,  and  to  that  school  they 
went.  I  don't  know  why,  but  they  say  the  master  had 
had  a  quarrel  with  their  father  when  he  was  alive,  and 
the  master  had  not  forgotten  it  now  he  was  dead,  and 
in  consequence  he  was  very  severe  upon  these  two  boys, 
and  used  to  beat  them  without  mercy  ;  at  all  events  it 
did  them  good,  for  they  learnt  faster  than  any  of  the 
others  who  were  at  all  favoured,  and  they  soon  proved 
the  best  boys  in  the  school.  Well,  time  ran  on,  till 
Archibald  was  thirteen,  and  Andrew  twelve  years  old  ^ 
and,  being  very  tired  of  school,  they  asked  their  mother 
what  profession  they  were  to  be  of,  and  she  answered, 
*  anything  except  going  to  sea,  for  there  you  will  never 
get  on,'  But  times  became  harder  with  the  widow ;  she 
had  not  enough  to  give  the  boys  to  eat,  and  they  com- 
plained bitterly  ;  but  it  was  of  no  use,  so  they  got  on 
how  they  could,  until,  one  day,  Archy  says  to  Andrew, 


Poor  Jack  229 

*  Why,  brother,  we  have  nothing  but  ferrule  for  breakfast, 
dinner,  and  supper,  and  I  see  little  chance  of  our  getting 
anything  more.  Mother,  poor  soul !  has  not  enough  for 
herself  to  eat,  and  she  very  often  gives  us  her  dinner, 
and  goes  without.  I  can't  stand  it  any  longer  j  what 
shall  we  do,  shall  we  seek  our  fortunes  ^ '  *  Yes,'  says 
Andrew,  *  and  when  we  are  gone,  mother  will  have 
enough  for  herself.' 

"  '  Well,  they  say  anything  is  better  than  going  to 
sea,  but  I  don't  know  how  we  can  do  anything  else.' 

"  *  Well,  Archy,  going  to  sea  may  be  the  worst  of 
all,  but  it's  better  than  taking  the  victuals  out  of  poor 
mother's  mouth.' 

"  '  That's  very  true  j  so  we'll  be  off,  Andrew.* 

*'They  walked  down  to  the  pier,  and  then  they  fell 
in  with  the  captain  of  a  vessel  going  foreign,  and  they 
asked  him  whether  he  wanted  any  boys  on  board. 

**  '  Why,'  says  he,  *  I  wouldn't  care,  but  you've  never 
been  to  sea  before.' 

*'  '  No,'  said  Archy ;  *  but  there  must  be  a  beginning 
to  everything.' 

"  *  Well,'  said  the  captain,  *  I  suppose  you've  run  away 
from  your  friends,  and,  as  I  can't  get  apprentices  now, 
m  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  I'll  take  you  on  board,  and 
as  soon  as  we  get  round  to  another  port  in  the  channel, 
I'll  bind  you  as  apprentices  for  three  years.  Will  you 
agree  to  that  ?  ' 

"The  boys  said  *  yes,' and  the  captain  told  them  that 
he  should  sail  the  next  morning  about  daylight,  and  that 
they  must  be  down  at  the  pier  by  that  time  j  so  they 
went  back  again  to  their  mother,  and  said  nothing  about 
what  had  passed.  There  was  no  supper  that  night,  which 
confirmed  them  in  their  resolution  j  they  kissed  their 
mother,  and  went  up  to  bed,  packed  up  all  their  clothes, 
and  before  she  was  downstairs  the  next  morning  they 
were  on  board  of  the  vessel. 

"  Well,  they  were  duly  apprenticed  when  the  ship 
arrived   at  Weymouth,   and   then   off   they   went.     The 


230  Poor  Jack 

other  men  on  board  were,  as  usual,  very  much  afraid  of 
being  pressed,  and  every  plan  was  hit  upon  for  stowing 
away  when  they  were  boarded  by  a  man-of-war.  Well» 
time  passed,  and  after  many  voyages  they  had  both  nearly 
served  their  time ;  they  were  tall,  stout  young  men,  and 
looked  older  than  they  really  were.  At  last,  one  day, 
when  off  the  Western  Isles,  they  were  boarded  by  a 
frigate,  and  the  officer  who  came  in  the  boat  asked  Archy 
what  he  was,  and  he  replied  he  was  an  apprentice. 

*•  *  You  an  apprentice  ! '  cried  he,  *  that  won't  do.' 

"  *  But  here  are  the  indentures.' 

**  *  All  forged,'  cried  the  officer  ;  *  just  get  into  the  boat, 
my  lad.'  (You  see  that's  a  very  common  trick  of  officers  ; 
if  a  boy's  grown  up  and  fit  for  service,  they  don't  care 
about  indentures.)  *  Well,  Archy  found  it  was  of  no  use  ; 
so  he  gets  his  kit  and  steps  into  the  boat,  shaking  hands 
with  Andrew,  who  was  shedding  tears  at  the  thoughts  of 
parting  with  his  brother. 

*' '  It's  no  use  crying,  Andrew,'  says  he  ;  *  I  might  have 
been  second  mate  in  three  months,  as  the  captain  promised 
me,  when  my  time  was  up,  and  then  I  should  have  been 
protected,  and  might  have  risen  from  mate  to  captain ;  but 
now  it's  all  over  with  me.  May  you  have  better  luck,  and 
I  hope  the  captain  will  give  you  the  berth  instead  of  me.*^ 
Well,  away  went  Archy  on  board  of  the  man-of-war, 
looking  very  gloomy  as  you  may  suppose.  When  he  went 
aft  on  the  quarter-deck,  the  captain  asked  him  his  name, 
and  where  he  came  from. 

**  *  Ah  ! '  said  the  captain,  *  and  who  are  your  friends  ?  * 
So  Archy  told  him  that  he  had  only  his  mother  left.  The 
captain  asked  him  a  good  many  more  questions  as  to 
whether  he  had  been  educated  or  not,  and  what  he  knew ; 
and  then  rated  him  A.B.,  and  put  him  into  the  main-top. 
Well,  Archy  remained  there  for  about  six  months,  and 
found  that  a  man-of-war  was  not  so  bad  a  place  after  all ; 
and  he  was  well  treated  by  the  captain  and  officers,  the 
more  so  as  he  was  a  good  scholar.  After  the  cruise  was 
over,    the   frigate   ran    into   the   Channel,    and   anchored 


Poor  Jack  231 

in  Portland  Roads,  where  there  were  a  great  many  vessels 
wind-bound.  As  usual,  they  sent  round  to  press  the  men. 
Now  Archy  was  one  of  those  sent  in  the  boats,  and  by 
this  time,  being  a  man-of-war's  man  all  over,  he  was  just 
as  eager  to  get  the  men  as  the  others  were.  They  boarded 
several  vessels,  and  got  some  men ;  about  dark  they 
boarded  one  which  laid  well  in  the  offing.  The  captain 
was  not  on  board,  and  the  men  were  turned  up,  but  they 
were  very  few,  and  all  protected.  Now  Archy,  who  vjas 
up  to  the  hiding-places  on  board  a  merchant  vessel,  goes 
down  with  his  cutlass,  and  crawls  about  in  the  dark,  until 
at  last  he  gets  hold  of  a  man  by  the  heels.  *  Come  out, 
you  thief,'  cries  he,  *  come  out  directly,  or  I'll  give  you  an 
inch  of  my  cutlass  ; '  so  the  man,  finding  that  he  could  not 
help  himself,  backs  out,  stern  foremost.  Archy  collars 
him,  and  takes  him  on  deck,  when  who  should  it  prove  to 
be  but  his  own  brother  Andrew  ! 

"  *  Oh,  Archy,  Archy,  I  didn't  think  this  of  you.* 
"  *  Well,  Andrew,  I  didn't  know  it  was  you,  but  there's 
no  help  for  it ;  you  must  come  and  serve  in  the  main-top 
along  with  me,  and  give  up  all  chance  of  being  a  mate  or 
captain  of  a  merchant  vessel.  We're  in  bad  luck,  that's 
clear ;  but  it  can't  be  helped.'  There  was  a  good  laugh 
on  board  of  the  man-of-war  at  Archy  pressing  his  own 
brother,  and  the  captain  was  very  much  amused.  'I'm 
very  sorry  for  it,'  said  Archy. 

**  Now  the  captain  was  short  of  midshipmen,  and,  being 
obliged  to  sail  immediately,  he  determined  to  put  Archy  on 
the  quarter-deck,  and  so  he  did,  while  Andrew  served  in 
the  main-top.  But  this  did  not  last  long ;  the  captain, 
who  liked  Andrew  quite  as  well,  and  who  knew  their 
family  and  connections,  put  Andrew  also  on  the  quarter- 
deck ;  and  what  was  the  consequence  ?  Why,  they  are 
now  both  post  captains,  commanding  fine  frigates ;  so  you 
see,  going  on  board  of  a  man-of-war,  which  they  conceived 
as  their  ruin,  was  the  means  of  their  rising  to  rank  and 
riches,  for  they  have  been  very  lucky  in  the  service. 
I  heard  Captain  Archibald  tell  the  story  himself  one  day. 


232  Poor  Jack 

as  I  helped  at  dinner  in  the  cabin,  when  I  was  coxswain 
with  Sir  Hercules." 

"  Well,  father,  that's  a  good  story  to  the  point  j  but 
I  do  not  see  that  I  ever  have  any  chance  of  being  a  post 
captain." 

"  Don't  seem  much  like  it,  certainly  ;  but  you've  a  good 
chance  of  being  a  pilot." 

"  Yes,  that  I  certainly  have ;  and  a  pilot  is  always 
respected,  go  on  board  what  ship  he  may." 

*'  To  be  sure  he  is ;  because  he  is  supposed  to  have 
more  knowledge  than  any  one  on  board." 

"Then  I  am  contented,  father,  with  the  prospect  of 
being  respectable ;  so  there's  an  end  of  that  business, 
except  that  I  must  write  and  thank  the  captain  for  his 
kindness." 

"Just  so,  Tom  J  do  you  dine  with  me  .''" 

*'  No,  father.  I  promised  to  meet  Bramble  at  the  Jolly 
Sailors.     We  are  going  up  to  Mr  Wilson's." 

"  Ay,  about  the  farm  he  wants  to  buy.  Well,  the 
clock  is  striking,  so  good-bye  till  this  evening." 

I  must  explain  to  the  reader  that  Mr  Wilson,  having 
heard  of  Bramble's  intention  to  purchase  the  farm,  very 
kindly  interfered.  He  had  a  son  who  was  a  solicitor  at 
Dover,  and  he  recommended  Bramble  not  to  appear 
personally,  but  let  his  son  manage  the  affair  for  him, 
which  he  promised  should  be  done  without  expense. 
The  next  morning  Bramble  and  I  took  our  leave  and 
quitted  Greenwich,  taking  the  coach  to  Dover;  for 
Bramble,  having  a  good  deal  of  money  in  his  pocket, 
thought  it  better  to  do  so,  than  to  wait  till  he  could 
take  a  ship  down  the  river.  On  our  arrival  at  Dover, 
we  called  upon  Mr  Wilson's  son,  who  had  already  made 
inquiries,  and  eventually  obtained  the  farm  for  Bramble 
for  two  hundred  pounds  less  than  he  expected  to  give 
for  it,  and,  very  handsomely,  only  charged  him  for  the 
stamps  of  the  conveyance.  When  we  arrived  at  Deal, 
we  found  Mrs  Maddox  quite  recovered,  and  sitting  with 
little  Bessy  in  the  parlour  below.      After  Mrs  Maddox 


Poor  Jack  233 

and  Bessy  went  upstairs  to  bed,  Bramble  swd  to  me,  as 
he  knocked  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe — 

**  Tom,  I've  got  this  farm  for  Bessy  for  two  hundred 
pounds  less  than  I  expected  to  give  for  it ;  now,  I've  been 
thinking  about  this  two  hundred  pounds,  which,  I  con- 
sider, in  a  manner,  as  her  property ;  and  what  d'ye  think 
I  mean  to  do  with  it  ? — I'll  tell  you — I'll  give  her  educa- 
tion as  well  as  money.  This  sum  will  keep  her  at  a  good 
school  for  a  matter  of  four  years,  and  I've  made  up  my 
mind  that  she  shall  go.  I  don't  like  to  part  with  her, 
that's  certain  ;  but  it's  for  her  good — so  all's  right — don't 
you  think  so  ?  " 

"  I  do  indeed,  father,"  replied  I.  "I  shall  miss  her  as 
much  as  you  do ;  but,  as  you  say,  it's  all  right ;  and  Fm 
very  glad  that  you  have  so  decided.'* 


Chapter  XXXII 

In  which  there  is  a  hop,  skip,  and  a  jump. 

Life  has  often,  and  with  great  truth,  been  compared  to  a 
river.  In  infancy  a  little  rill,  gradually  increasing  to  the 
pure  and  limpid  brook,  which  winds  through  flowery 
meads,  "  giving  a  gentle  kiss  to  every  ridge  it  overtaketh 
in  its  pilgrimage."  Next  it  increases  in  its  volume  and  its 
power,  now  rushing  rapidly,  now  moving  along  in  deep 
and  tranquil  water,  until  it  swells  into  a  bold  stream, 
coursing  its  way  over  the  shallows,  dashing  through  the 
impeding  rocks,  descending  in  rapids  swift  as  thought,  or 
pouring  its  boiling  water  over  the  cataract.  And  thus 
does  it  vary  its  velocity,  its  appearance,  and  its  course, 
until  it  swells  into  a  broad  expanse,  gradually  checking 
its  career  as  it  approaches,  and  at  last  mingles  with  the 
Ocean  of  Eternity.  I  have  been  led  into  this  somewhat 
trite  metaphor,  to  account  to  the  reader  for  the  contents 
of  this  chapter.     As  in  the   river,  after  many  miles  of 


234  Poor  Jack 

chequered  and  boisterous  career,  you  will  find  that  its 
waters  will  for  some  time  flow  in  a  smooth  and  tranquil 
course  as  almost  to  render  you  unconscious  of  the  never- 
ceasing  stream ;  so,  in  the  life  of  man,  after  an  eventful 
and  adventurous  career,  it  will  be  found  that  for  a  time  he 
is  permitted  to  glide  gently  and  quietly  along,  as  if  a 
respite  were  given  to  his  feelings,  preparatory  to  fresh 
scenes  of  excitement.  Such  was  the  case  with  me  for 
some  time.  I  had  now  been  under  Bramble's  tuition  for 
more  than  a  year  and  a  half,  and  was  consequently  between 
fifteen  and  sixteen  years  old.  The  years  from  1 800  to  the 
end  of  1804  were  of  this  description  in  my  stream  of  life, 
unmarked  by  any  peculiar  or  stirring  events  worthy  of 
occupying  the  attention  of  my  readers.  It  is  therefore  my 
intention,  in  this  chapter,  to  play  the  part  of  the  chorus  in 
the  old  plays,  and  sum  up  the  events  in  few  words,  so  as 
not  to  break  the  chain  of  history,  at  the  same  time  that  I 
shall  prepare  my  readers  for  what  subsequently  took  place. 

I  will  first  speak  of  myself.  Up  to  the  age  of  nineteen 
I  continued  my  career  under  the  care  of  Bramble  j  we 
seldom  remained  long  on  shore,  for  neither  Bramble  nor  I 
found  home  so  agreeable  since  little  Bessy  had  been  sent 
to  school,  and  Mrs  Maddox,  assisted  by  a  little  girl,  had 
charge  of  the  house ;  indeed.  Bramble  appeared  resolved 
to  make  all  the  money  he  could,  that  he  might  the  sooner 
be  able  to  give  up  his  profession.  Mrs  Maddox  I  have 
spoken  little  of,  because  I  had  seen  but  little  of  her :  now 
that  she  was  downstairs,  I  will  not  say  I  saw,  but  I 
certainly  heard  too  much  of  her,  for  she  never  ceased 
talking  ;  not  that  she  talked  loud  or  screamed  out, — on 
the  contrary,  she  was  of  a  mild  amiable  temper,  but  could 
not  hold  her  tongue.  If  she  could  not  find  any  one  to  talk 
to,  she  would  talk  to  any  thing ;  if  she  was  making  the 
fire,  she  would  apostrophise  the  sticks  for  not  burning 
properly.  I  watched  her  one  morning  as  she  was  kneeling 
down  before  the  grate  : — 

**  Now,  stick,  you  must  go  in,"  said  she ;  *'  it's  no  use 
your  resisting,  and,  what's  more,  you  must  burn,  and  burn 


Poor  Jack  235 

quickly  too,  d'ye  hear,  or  the  kettle  won't  boil  in  time  for 
breakfast.  Be  quick,  you  little  fellow — burn  away  and 
light  the  others,  there's  a  good  boy."  Here  she  knocked 
down  the  tongs.  "  Tongs,  be  quiet,  how  dare  you  make 
that  noise  ?"  Then,  as  she  replaced  them,  "  Stand  up,  sir, 
in  your  place  until  you  are  wanted.  Now,  poker,  your 
turn's  coming,  we  must  have  a  stir  directly.  Bless  me, 
smoke,  what's  the  matter  with  you  now  ?  can't  you  go  up 
the  chimney  .?  You  can't  pretend  to  say  the  wind  blows 
you  down  this  fine  morning,  so  none  of  your  vagaries. 
Now,  fender,  it's  your  turn — stand  still  till  I  give  you  a 
bit  of  a  rub.  There,  now  you're  all  right.  Table,  you 
want  your  face  washed — your  master  has  spilt  his  grog 
last  night — there  now,  you  look  as  handsome  as  ever. 
Well,  old  chair,  how  are  you  this  morning  ?  You're  older 
than  I  am,  I  reckon,  and  yet  you're  stouter  on  your  legs. 
Why,  candle,  are  you  burning  all  this  while  ?  Why 
didn't  you  tell  me  ? — I  would  have  put  you  out  long  ago. 
Come  now,  don't  be  making  a  smell  here — send  it  up  the 
chimney." 

Thus  would  she  talk  to  everything.  We  only  had  two 
animals  in  the  house — a  cat  and  a  canary  bird :  of  course 
they  were  not  neglected;  but,  somehow  or  another,  the 
cat  appeared  to  get  tired  of  it,  for  it  would  rise,  and  very 
gently  walk  into  the  back-kitchen ;  and  as  for  the  canary 
bird,  like  all  other  canary  birds,  as  soon  as  he  was  talked 
to,  he  would  begin  to  sing,  and  that  so  loud,  that  Mrs 
Maddox  was  beaten  out  of  the  field.  Bramble  bore  with 
her  very  well ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  did  not  like  it : 
he  once  said  to  me,  **  Well,  if  Bessy  were  at  Deal,  I  think 
I  would  take  a  short  spell  now ;  but  as  for  that  poor  good 
old  soul,  whose  tongue  is  hung  on  the  middle,  and  works 
at  both  ends,  she  does  tire  one,  and  that's  the  truth." 
But  she  really  was  a  good-natured,  kind  creature,  ready 
to  oblige  in  everything ;  and  I  believe  that  she  thought 
that  she  was  amusing  you,  when  she  talked  on  in  this 
way.  Unfortunately  she  had  no  anecdote,  for  she  had 
a  very  bad  memory,  and  therefore  there  was  nothing  to 


236  Poor  Jack 

be  gained  from  her.  By  way  of  amusing  me,  she  used 
to  say,  "  Now,  Tom,  sit  down  here,  and  I'll  tell  you  all 
about  my  bad  leg."  And  then  she  would  commence 
with  the  first  symptoms,  the  degrees  of  pain,  the  various 
plasters,  bandages,  and  poultices,  which  had  been  applied, 
and  what  the  doctor  had  said  this  day  and  that  day.  I 
bore  this  very  patiently  for  four  or  five  times ;  but  at  last, 
after  several  days  of  increasing  impatience  (somewhere 
about  the  fifteenth  time,  I  believe),  I  could  stand  it  no 
more,  so  I  jumped  off  my  chair,  and  ran  away,  just  as  she 
commenced  the  interesting  detail. 

"  Mrs  Maddox,"  said  I,  '*  I  cannot  bear  to  hear  of  your 
sufferings;  pray  never  mention  them  again." 

**  What  a  kind-hearted  creature  you  are  ! "  said  she. 
"  Well,  I  won't  then.  It's  not  many  who  have  such  pity 
in  them.  Cotton,  where  have  you  got  to — always  running 
away  ?  One  would  think  you  don't  like  to  be  knitted. 
Now,  cotton,  don't  be  foolish  j  where  have  you  hid  your- 
self ?  You  make  others  as  bad  as  yourself.  Scissors  have 
got  away  now  ; — there  now,  sit  on  my  lap,  and  be  quiet." 

However,  if  Mrs  Maddox  got  back  cotton  and  scissors, 
she  did  not  get  me  back,  for  I  bolted  out  of  the  front  door, 
and  joined  the  men  who  were  lolling  against  the  gunnel  of 
a  galley,  hauled  up  on  the  shingle. 

During  the  period  of  which  I  am  speaking,  I  continued 
every  day  to  add  to  my  knowledge  of  my  profession,  and 
eventually  I  was  competent  to  pass  my  examination  at  the 
Trinity  House.  When  I  went  on  board  a  vessel  with 
Bramble,  he  would  often  give  me  charge  of  her,  never 
interfering  with  me  (although  he  watched  me  carefully), 
unless  he  considered  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary, 
which  I  believe  took  place  but  twice.  He  used  to  tell  the 
masters  of  the  vessels  that  I  was  quite  as  good  a  pilot  as  he 
was,  which  certainly  was  not  quite  correct :  however,  it 
was  of  great  consequence  to  me,  as  it  gave  me  that  con- 
fidence so  necessary  in  my  profession,  and  in  due  time  I 
passed  for  a  river  pilot  at  the  Trinity  House.  Some 
alteration  occurred  at  the  Hospital  during  this  interval. 


Poor  Jack  237 

Anderson  had  been  promoted  from  boatswain  of  the  ward 
to  Inspecting  boatswain,  a  place  of  trust,  with  very  com- 
fortable emoluments,  his  weekly  allowance  being  increased 
to  five  shillings ;  and  on  his  promotion  my  father  was 
made  a  boatswain's  mate  of  the  Warriors'  Ward.  This  was 
at  first  satisfactory  to  my  mother,  who  was  pleased  that 
my  father  should  wear  lace  upon  his  pensioner's  coat ;  but, 
as  she  advanced  in  the  world,  she  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
my  father  being  in  the  Hospital,  nor  did  she  want  him  to 
be  at  her  house — in  fact,  she  could  have  done  better  with- 
out him ;  but  as  that  could  not  be,  she  made  the  best  of  it. 
It  must  be  acknowledged  that  my  father's  boisterous  and 
rude  manner  had  been  softening  down  ever  since  he  had 
been  in  the  Hospital,  and  that  he  had  become  a  very  well- 
behaved,  quiet,  and  sober  person,  and  was  very  respectable 
in  his  appearance  j  but  I  shall  say  more  about  him  when  I 
talk  of  my  mother  again.  Old  Nanny  went  on  much  as 
usual,  but  on  the  whole  she  improved.  I  used  to  pick  up 
for  her  anything  I  could,  and  put  it  in  a  large  bag  which  I 
occasionally  brought  to  Greenwich  ;  and  this  bag,  with  its 
multifarious  contents,  would  give  her  more  pleasure  than 
if  I  had  brought  her  any  single  object  more  valuable.  Old 
Anderson  used  to  call  upon  her  occasionally,  but  he  did 
not  do  her  much  good.  She  appeared  to  think  of  hardly 
anything  but  getting  money.  She  was  always  glad  to  see 
me,  and  I  believe  thought  more  of  me  than  of  anybody 
else  in  the  world,  and  I  seldom  failed  to  pay  her  a  visit  on 
the  first  day  of  my  arrival. 

Doctor  Tadpole  and  his  apprentice  Tom  went  on  pretty 
well  together  until  the  hundredweight  of  liquorice  was 
expended,  and  then  there  was  a  fresh  rising  on  the  part 
of  the  injured  and  oppressed  representative  of  the  lower 
orders,  which  continued  till  a  fresh  supply  from  London 
appeased  his  radical  feelings  which  had  been  called  forth, 
and  then  the  liquorice  made  everything  go  on  smoothly 
as  before ;  but  two  years  afterwards  Tom  was  out  of 
his  time,  and  then  the  Doctor  retained  him  as  his  assistant, 
with  a  salary  added  to  his  board,  which  enabled  Tom  to 


238  Poor  Jack 

be  independent  of  the  shop,  as  far  as  liquorice  was  con- 
cerned, and  to  cut  a  very  smart  figure  among  the  young 
men  about  Greenwich ;  for,  on  Tom's  promotion,  another 
boy  was  appointed  to  the  carrying  out  of  the  medicine  as 
well  as  the  drudgery,  and  Tom  took  good  care  that  this 
lad  should  clean  his  boots  as  well  as  the  Doctor's,  and 
not  make  quite  so  free  with  the  liquorice  as  he  had  done 
himself.     I  found  out  also  that  he  had  cut  Anny  Whistle. 

Mrs  St  Felix  continued  to  vend  her  tobacco,  and  I 
never  failed  seeing  her  on  my  visits  to  Greenwich.  She 
appeared  to  look  just  as  young  as  she  did  when  I  first 
knew  her,  and  everyone  said  that  there  was  no  apparent 
alteration.  She  was  as  kind  and  as  cheerful  as  ever ;  and 
I  may  as  well  here  remark  that  during  this  period  a  great 
intimacy  had  grown  up  between  her  and  my  sister  Virginia, 
very  much  to  the  annoyance  of  my  mother,  who  still  re- 
tained her  feelings  of  ill-will  against  Mrs  St  Felix — why, 
I  do  not  know,  except  that  she  was  so  good-looking  a 
person,  and  such  a  favourite  with  everybody.  But  my 
father,  who,  when  he  chose,  would  not  be  contradicted, 
insisted  upon  Virginia's  being  on  good  terms  with  Mrs 
St  Felix,  and  used  to  take  her  there  himself;  and  Virginia, 
who  had  never  forgotten  the  widow's  kindness  to  me, 
was  extremely  partial  to  her,  and  was  much  more  in  her 
company  than  my  mother  had  any  idea  of,  for  Virginia 
would  not  vex  my  mother  unnecessarily  by  telling  her 
she  had  been  with  the  widow,  unless  she  was  directly 
asked. 

It  was  about  four  months  after  my  father  and  I  had 
given  our  money  to  my  mother,  that  I  returned  to  Green- 
wich. A  letter  from  Virginia  had  acquainted  me  with 
the  street  and  the  number  of  the  house  which  my  mother 
had  taken,  and  I  therefore  walked  from  the  beach  right 
to  it ;  and  I  must  say,  that  when  I  came  to  the  new  abode 
I  was  very  much  surprised  at  its  neat  and  even  handsome 
appearance.  The  ground-floor  was  fitted  up  as  a  shop 
with  large  panes  of  glass,  and  inside  upon  stands  were 
arranged   a   variety   of  bonnets   and   caps,    set   off  with 


Poor  Jack  239 

looking-glass  and  silk  curtains,  in  the  arrangement  of 
which  no  little  taste  was  displayed.  Behind  the  show 
goods  was  a  curtain  hanging  on  a  brass  rod,  drawn  so  as 
to  conceal  the  work-people  who  were  within.  There  was 
a  private  door  as  well  as  a  shop  door,  and  I  hardly  knew 
which  I  was  to  go  in  at :  however,  as  the  shop  door 
required  no  knocking,  I  went  into  that,  and  found  myself 
in  the  company  of  eight  young  damsels,  very  busy  at 
their  needles,  sitting  on  each  side  of  a  long  table  covered 
with  half-made  dresses.  I  inquired  of  them  whether  my 
mother  was  at  home,  and  was  answered  by  one,  who  was 
apparently  the  eldest,  that  she  was  down  below  getting 
the  breakfast  ready. 

"I  suppose,"  continued  she,  "you  are  Mr  Tom 
Saunders,  the  pilot  ? " 

**  I  suppose  I  am,"  replied  I ;  "  and  pray  who  are  you  ?  " 

**  I  am  Miss  Amelia  Gozlin,  apprentice  to  Mrs  Saunders, 
milliner, — at  your  service,  sir :  and,  in  consequence  of  my 
being  so  very  quiet  and  sedate,  I  have  charge  of  all  these 
young  ladies  you  see  with  me." 

Here  the  others  burst  into  a  laugh. 

"  They  are  in  very  good  hands,  Miss  Amelia,"  replied 
I,  "and  under  your  care,  and  with  your  example,  I  have 
no  doubt  but  they  will  turn  out  very  useful  members  of 
society." 

"  Thank  you,  sir ;  but  allow  me  to  say  that  I  cannot 
permit  young  men,  especially  such  enchanting  young  men 
as  Mr  Tom  Saunders,  to  remain  here ;  as,  if  I  do,  your 
amiable  mother  would  give  me  what  is  genteelly  termed 
a  whigging  ;  so  if  you  will  be  pleased,  sir,  just  to  remove 
yourself  from  our  presence,"  continued  she,  with  a  mock 
courtesy,  "  and  not  make  your  appearance  here  again  until 
you  are  certain  your  mother  is  gone  out,  you  will  oblige 
us  very  much." 

I  obeyed  the  wishes  of  Miss  Amelia  Gozlin,  who  cer- 
tainly was  a  very  handsome  girl,  with  fine  black  eyes, 
apparently  about  fifteen  years  old.  I  walked  into  the 
passage,  and  found  my  way  down  into  the  kitchen,  where 


240  Poor  Jack 

my  mother  and  Virginia  were  employed  as  they  had  told  me 
above.  My  mother  received  me  kindly,  but  said  little,  for 
she  appeared  to  be  fully  occupied  j  and  Virginia  had  no 
time  to  dedicate  to  me  until  the  breakfast  was  ready,  when 
she  called  the  apprentices,  and  we  all  sat  down  together  j 
Miss  Amelia  and  her  companions  looking  so  demure,  that, 
if  I  had  not  seen  them  before,  I  should  have  thought  that 
they  could  not  speak. 

After  breakfast  was  over,  Virginia  showed  me  the 
house.  The  first  floor  was  to  let  furnished ;  the  second 
was  occupied  by  my  mother  and  Virginia ;  and  the  attics 
were  appropriated  to  the  apprentices.  Everything  appeared 
clean,  neat,  and  well  arranged ;  and  I  could  not  imagine 
how  my  mother  had  contrived  to  do  so  much  with  so  little 
money ;  but  Virginia  told  me  that  she  thought  Mr  Wilson 
had  assisted  her. 

When  I  returned,  which  might  have  been  in  six  months, 
I  found  a  great  improvement,  and  every  appearance  of  my 
mother  succeeding  well  in  her  speculations.  She  had  now 
a  maid-servant,  and  her  apprentices  were  increased  to 
twelve,  and  there  was  every  appearance  of  brisk  and  full 
employment.  In  1803,  I  found  that  Virginia,  who  was 
then  fourteen  years  old,  had  left  school.  She  had  told  my 
mother  that,  during  the  last  half-year,  she  had  only  re- 
peated over  again  what  she  had  learnt  the  half-year  before, 
and  that  she  thought  she  could  employ  her  time  better  at 
home  and  assisting  her.  My  mother  was  of  the  same 
opinion,  and  Virginia  now  superintended  the  cutting-out 
department,  and  was  very  useful.  She  said  that  the  in- 
crease of  business  had  been  very  great,  and  that  my  mother 
could  hardly  execute  the  orders  which  she  received.  There 
were  now  two  servants  in  the  house,  and  additional  work- 
women. My  mother,  also,  had  very  much  altered  in 
appearance  :  before,  she  was  usually  clean  and  neat ;  now 
she  was  well,  if  not  elegantly  dressed,  and  appeared  much 
younger  and  better-looking.  I  must  do  her  the  justice  to 
say,  that  prosperity  had  not  spoiled  but  improved  her  :  she 
was  more  kind  and  more  cheerful  every  time  that  I  went 


Poor  Jack  241 

to  see  her ;  and  I  may  add  that,  with  the  exception  of  a 
little  necessary  castigation  to  Miss  Amelia  and  her  com- 
panions, she  never  scolded,  and  was  kind  to  her  servants. 
The  last  year  she  had  been  even  more  successful,  and  was 
now  considered  the  first  milliner  in  the  town.  I  believed 
that  she  deserved  her  reputation,  for  she  had  a  great  deal 
of  taste  in  dress ;  and  when  she  had  gone  upstairs  to 
decorate,  previous  to  the  hour  of  arrival  of  her  customers, 
and  came  down  in  a  handsome  silk  dress,  and  an  elegant 
morning  cap,  I  would  often  look  at  her  with  surprise,  and 
say  to  myself,  "  Who  would  think  that  this  was  my 
mother,  who  used  to  shove  the  broom  at  me  in  the  little 
parlour  at  Fisher's  Alley  ? " 

The  reader  may  inquire  how  my  father  and  mother  got 
on  after  such  an  alteration  in  her  circumstances.  I  can 
only  reply,  that  they  got  on  better  than  they  did  before  ; 
for  my  mother,  who  did  not  wish  my  father's  company  in 
the  house,  pointed  out  to  him,  that,  with  so  many  young 
people  living  with  her,  it  would  be  very  inconvenient  if  he 
came  there  in  the  evenings  to  smoke  his  pipe ;  and  that  it 
would  be  better  if  he  could  smoke  and  drink  his  beer  any- 
where else.  My  father  perceived  the  propriety  of  this,  and 
assented  with  a  good  grace  :  my  mother  was  very  liberal 
to  him,  and  he  was  now  enabled,  when  he  chose,  to  ask  a 
companion  or  two  to  join  him  ;  so  that  it  suited  both 
parties.  My  father,  therefore,  never  came  to  the  house, 
except  after  the  Hospital  supper,  when  he  remained  a  few 
minutes  to  see  Virginia,  and  then  departed.  On  Sundays 
he  spent  the  whole  day  there,  and  was  kindly  welcomed, 
but  he  always  left  in  the  evening  to  smoke  his  pipe  else- 
where. As  for  me,  when  I  did  come,  I  was  always  kindly 
received,  and  slept  in  a  spare  bed  on  the  same  floor  with 
my  mother  and  Virginia.  Before  my  time  was  out,  I  was 
too  well  supplied  by  Bramble  ever  to  want  anything,  and 
afterwards  I  made  plenty  of  money,  and  seldom  came 
home  without  bringing  a  present  both  to  my  mother  and 
Virginia. 

Having  thus  given  a  general  outline  of  affairs,  I  shall  in 
P-J-  Q 


242  Poor  Jack 

the  next  chapter  enter  more  minutely  into  some  particulars, 
without  which,  the  detail  of  events  will  not  be  complete. 


Chapter  XXXIII 

In  which  the  tine  qua  non  of  all  novels  is.  for  the  first  time,  introduced. 

In  the  last  chapter,  I  have  said  in  few  words  that  Bessy 
Godwin  had  been  sent  to  school,  and  had  since  returned 
home.  She  had  been  home  nearly  a  year  before  the  period 
to  which  I  brought  up  my  history,  but  now  she  no  longer 
was  employed  in  any  menial  service,  the  girl  who  had  been 
hired  during  her  absence  being  still  retained.  Bessy  now 
superintended  the  household,  but  did  nothing  more ;  and 
there  was  a  greater  degree  of  comfort  and  expenditure 
than  had  formerly  been  the  case.  Whether  this  was  on 
Bessy's  account,  or  from  Bessy's  imbibed  ideas,  I  cannot 
pretend  to  say  ;  but  certainly  there  was  a  great  change  in 
our  style  of  living,  which  Bramble  appeared  to  sanction. 
Mrs  Maddox  remained  as  a  mere  pensioner,  sitting  by  the 
fire,  and  perhaps  finishing  a  pair  of  stockings  about  every 
five  or  six  weeks,  talking  as  usual  at  and  to  everybody,  and 
with  everything.  In  another  point,  also,  there  was  a 
change  in  Bramble's  house:  it  was  much  oftener  filled 
with  company ;  this  was,  I  presume,  to  be  ascribed  to 
Bessy's  personal  charms,  which  certainly  were  very  great. 
She  was  of  a  peculiar  and  much  admired  style  of  beauty,  a 
description  which  strikes  some  people  at  first  sight,  and  not 
others — those  not  perceiving  it  at  first  eventually  admiring 
it  even  more  than  the  others.  She  was  taller  than  the  middle 
height,  her  person  finely  developed,  yet  not  so  much  so  as 
to  take  away  from  its  grace  :  her  complexion  was  pale  and 
clear,  her  eyes  and  hair  very  dark ;  there  was  a  coldness 
about  her  beauty  when  in  repose,  like  statuary  marble ; 
but  if  the  least  excited,  or  animated,  the  colour  would  mantle 
in  her  cheek  ;  her  eyes  would  beam,  till  they  appeared  as 


Poor  Jack  243 

if,  like  bright  planets,  they  could  almost  cast  a  shadow  ;  and 
dimples,  before  concealed,  would  show  themselves,  when 
she  indulged  in  her  silvery  laugh.  Although  her  form  was 
commanding,  still  she  was  very  feminine  :  there  was  great 
attraction  in  her  face,  even  when  in  repose — she  was  cold, 
but  not  chilling. 

I  had  seen  little  of  her  for  three  years,  during  which 
she  had  sprung  up  to  womanhood,  for  she  was  now  seven- 
teen, and  appeared  to  be  at  least  eighteen  years  old. 
Before,  when  we  were  living  together,  we  kissed  as 
brother  and  sister  :  since  we  had  again  become  inmates  of 
the  same  house,  we  had  been  friends,  but  nothing  more. 
Bessy  certainly  showed  as  great  a  preference  to  me  as  our 
relative  situations  would  admit ;  but  still  it  appeared  as  if 
the  extreme  intimacy  of  childhood  had  been  broken  off, 
and  that  it  was  necessary  that  a  renewed  intimacy  under 
another  aspect  should  take  place,  to  restore  us  to  our 
former  relations.  Here  it  was  for  me  to  make  the  first 
overtures ;  not  for  her,  as  maidenly  reserve  would  not 
permit  it.  Bramble  seemed  to  be  most  anxious  that  such 
should  be  the  case — indeed,  considered  it  as  a  matter  of 
course  :  perhaps  Bessy  thought  so  too  in  her  own  bosom  ; 
and  the  continual  raillery  of  Bramble  did  more  harm  than 
good,  as  it  appeared  to  warrant  her  thinking  that  it  ought 
to  be  so.  Why  it  was  not  I  will  now  explain  to  the 
reader. 

I  have  already  made  mention  of  Mr  Wilson,  the  lawyer, 
whose  acquaintance  we  procured  through  Sir  Hercules  and 
his  lady.  This  intimacy  had  very  much  increased  j  and  a 
Miss  Janet  Wilson  had  come  home  from  a  finishing  seminary 
near  town.  Between  this  young  lady  and  my  sister 
Virginia  a  certain  degree  of  intimacy  had  been  formed, 
and  of  course  I  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  her  at  the  times 
when  I  was  at  Greenwich.  She  was  a  very  pretty  and 
very  diminutive  girl,  but  beautifully  proportioned,  although 
so  very  small ;  indeed  she  was  considered  quite  a  model  in 
figure,  at  least  my  mother  used  to  say  so,  and  I  never  heard 
any  one  disagree  with  her.      Janet  had,  moreover,  large 


244  Poor  Jack 

eyes,  pencilled  eyebrows,  and  a  dimpled  chin.  Now,  as 
Bessy  was  away  at  the  time  when  I  first  made  her  acquaint- 
ance, if  all  these  perfections  were  not  enough  for  me  to  fall 
in  love  with,  I  must  have  been  difficult  to  please  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  when  one  is  not  so  very  difficult  j  and  the  con- 
sequence was,  I  was  her  most  devoted  slave.  Mr  Wilson 
laughed  at  us,  and  seemed  either  to  think  that  it  would  end 
in  nothing,  or  that,  if  it  did  end  in  something,  he  had  no  ob- 
jection. Thus  was  I  fixed  ;  and  with  Virginia  for  a  confid- 
ant, what  was  to  prevent  the  course  of  true  love  running 
smooth  ?  Janet  received  all  my  sighs,  all  my  protestations, 
all  my  oaths,  and  all  my  presents — and  many  were  the  latter, 
although  perhaps  not  equal  to  the  former  three.  It  was, 
therefore,  not  surprising  that  Bessy,  who  had  been  out  of 
the  way,  had  been  forestalled  by  this  diamond  edition  of 
Nature's  handiwork.  Such  was  the  state  of  my  heart  at 
the  commencement  of  the  year  1805. 

I  have  mentioned,  that  my  mother  had  taken  a  house  in 
the  principal  street ;  but  I  must  now  add,  that  in  the  year 
1804  she  found  it  necessary  to  remove  into  one  much 
larger,  and  had  therefore  shifted  more  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  town.  Instead  of  being  in  a  row,  this  house  was 
detached,  with  a  small  garden  in  front,  and  a  good  piece 
of  ground  at  the  back,  which  looked  down  towards  the 
river.  The  situation  not  being  so  central,  did  no  harm  to 
my  mother,  as  she  was  so  well  known ;  on  the  contrary,  it 
made  her  even  more  fashionable.  She  now  kept  no  shop, 
but  a  showroom  j  and  had  not  only  accommodation  for 
more  work-people,  but  very  handsome  apartments  to  let. 
In  another  point  it  was  advantageous,  which  was  on 
account  of  my  father.  At  the  end  of  the  garden  there  was 
an  octangular  summer-house,  looking  upon  the  river ;  it 
was  a  good-sized  room,  boarded  floor,  and  moreover  it 
had  a  fire-place  in  it,  and,  when  shut  up,  was  very  warm 
and  comfortable.  My  mother  made  this  house  over  to  my 
father  as  his  own,  to  smoke  and  drink  beer  in  ;  and  my 
father  preferred  a  place,  in  which  he  could  sit  alone  with 
his  friends,  to  a  public-house,  especially  as  the  garden  had 


Poor  Jack  245 

a  gate  at  the  end  of  it,  by  which  he  could  admit  himself 
whenever  he  pleased.  Here  my  father,  Ben  the  Whaler, 
Anderson,  and  others,  would  sit,  having  a  commanding 
view  of  the  Thames  and  the  vessels  passing  and  repassing; 
— in  the  summer  time,  with  all  the  windows  open,  and 
enjoying  the  fresh  air  and  the  fresh  smoke  from  their  pipes 
— in  winter  time  surrounding  the  fire,  and  telling  their 
yarns.  It  was  an  admirable  arrangement,  and  Virginia 
and  I  always  knew  where  to  find  him. 

I  have  said  but  little  of  my  sister  Virginia.  I  may  be 
considered  partial  to  her — perhaps  I  was ;  but  to  me  she 
was,  if  not  the  handsomest,  certainly  one  of  the  most 
captivating  persons  I  ever  saw ;  to  prove  that  I  thought 
so,  I  can  only  say,  that,  deeply  as  I  was  smitten  with  Miss 
Janet  Wilson,  I  often  thought  that  I  wished  she  was  a 
facsimile  of  my  sister.  Virginia  was  now  seventeen  years 
old,  slender  and  very  graceful :  she  reminded  me  more  of 
an  antelope  in  her  figure  than  anything  I  can  compare  her 
to ;  her  head  was  so  beautifully  placed  on  her  shoulders, 
that  it  was  the  first  thing  which  attracted  your  notice  when 
you  saw  her.  Her  eyes  were  of  a  deep  hazel,  fringed  by 
long  black  eyelashes,  and  her  arching  and  delicate  eye- 
brows nearly  met ;  her  nose  was  perfectly  straight,  but 
rather  small ;  and  her  face  ended  in  a  sharp  oval,  which 
added  to  the  brilliancy  and  animation  of  her  countenance : 
her  mouth  was  small  and  beautifully  formed,  and  her 
little  teeth  like  seed  pearl.  Everyone  declared  that  she 
was  the  handsomest  creature  that  ever  they  had  seen ;  and 
what  everyone  says  must  be  true.  She  was  so ;  but  she 
was  not  always  lively — she  was  only  so  at  times:  she 
appeared  to  be  of  a  serious,  reflective  turn  of  mind,  and  she 
read  a  great  deal ;  but  at  times  she  was  mirth  personified. 
To  my  mother  she  was  always  dutiful  and  attentive,  and 
was  very  useful  to  her. 

I  could  not  at  first  imagine  what  made  my  mother  so 
anxious  to  have  lodgers  in  the  house,  as  they  must  have 
proved  a  great  nuisance  to  her,  and  her  circumstances  were 
above  such  an  infliction.    I  was  not  long  before  I  discovered 


•2^6  Poor  Jack 

the  cause  of  this ;  it  was  no  other  but  to  make  up  some 
good  match  for  my  sister,  whose  beauty  she  considered 
would  effect  her  purpose.  Many  were  the  applications 
for  her  lodgings,  made  by  highly  respectable  gentlemen ; 
but  when  she  discovered,  either  that  they  were  married,  or 
that  in  other  points  they  did  not  suit,  she  invariably  refused, 
and  for  months  her  apartments  continued  vacant ;  but  if 
anybody  at  all  aristocratical,  who  was  single,  wished  to 
inspect  them,  my  mother  was  all  smiles  and  eagerness. 
It  may  be  supposed  that  she  was  not  likely  to  meet  with 
such  people  as  she  solicited,  at  such  a  town  as  Greenwich, 
but  such  was  not  the  case :  before  steam-boats  made 
Greenwich  so  come-at-able,  there  were  many  families  of 
distinction  who  resided  there  and  in  its  environs — especially 
in  the  autumn  of  the  year,  when  the  river  offered  such 
amusement.  It  was  just  at  that  period  that  the  white-bait 
parties  became  so  much  in  vogue,  and  Greenwich  was 
considered  a  pleasant  retreat  for  a  few  months  by  many  of 
the  fashionable  world. 

Although  Virginia  never  mentioned  her  surmises  directly^ 
I  perceived,  by  her  occasional  remarks,  that  she  had 
latterly  become  aware  of  what  were  my  mother's  views ; 
indeed,  how  could  she  do  otherwise,  when  my  mother 
would  refuse  her  lodgings  one  day  to  a  gentleman  because 
he  was  married,  and  let  them  the  next  time  merely  because 
he  was  a  single  man  .'*  and  that  she  was  disgusted  with  my 
mother's  conduct,  I  was  convinced  ;  at  the  same  time,  she 
certainly  kept  her  thoughts  to  herself,  merely  telling  me 
how  very  uncomfortable  it  was  to  have  lodgers,  and  to  be 
obliged  to  go  into  their  rooms  with  messages  from  my 

mother.      There  was  an  Honourable  Mr ,  I  really 

forget  his  name — indeed  I  should  not  have  mentioned  him, 
except  that  he  was  the  introduction  of  another  personage — 
who  was  several  months  in  my  mother's  house,  a  harmless 
old  bachelor.  How  old  he  was  I  cannot  say,  as  he  wore 
a  very  youthful  wig  and  also  false  whiskers,  but  I  should 
think  about  sixty.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  fine 
arts,  and  a  still  greater  admirer  of  his  own  performances 


Poor  Jack  247 

in  painting.  He  took  lessons  twice  a  day  from  two 
different  masters,  who  came  from  London ;  and  he  was  at 
it  from  morning  to  night.  He  came  down  to  Greenwich, 
as  he  said,  to  study  tints,  and  get  up  his  colouring.  I 
cannot  say  I  thought  his  performances  very  good,  but 
perhaps  I  was  not  a  judge.  My  mother,  who  would,  I 
believe,  have  sacrificed  my  sister  to  an  ourang-outang, 
provided  he  was  an  Honourable,  took  every  opportunity  of 
sending  Virginia  in  to  him,  that  he  might  study  the  delicate 
tints  on  her  cheeks  j  but  it  would  not  do,  even  if  Virginia 
had  been  a  party  to  it.  He  looked  at  his  palette  instead 
of  her  pretty  mouth ;  and  his  camel-hair  pencils  attracted 
his  attention  more  than  her  pencilled  eyebrows  :  he  was 
wrapt  up  in  his  art,  and  overlooked  the  prettiest  piece  of 
nature  in  the  world ;  and  Virginia,  seeing  this  to  be  the 
case,  had  no  longer  any  objection  to  go  into  his  room. 
But  this  gentleman  had  a  nephew,  a  very  different  sort  of 
a  personage,  a  young  heir  to  a  marquisate,  who  used  to 
pay  attention  to  his  bachelor  uncle,  by  paying  him  visits, 
at  first  because  he  was  ordered  so  to  do,  and  after  once  or 
twice  because  he  had  seen  Virginia,  and  was  struck  with 
her  appearance.  He  was  a  good-looking  young  man, 
about  nineteen,  but  not  very  bright — indeed  I  ought  to 
say  very  silly,  although  at  the  same  time  not  at  all  bashful. 
He  made  an  acquaintance  with  my  mother,  who  was 
delighted  with  his  condescension,  and  declared  that  he  was 
one  of  the  most  pleasant  young  men  she  had  ever  met 
with  J  and  he  would  have  been  very  intimate  with 
Virginia,  had  she  not  repulsed  him.  As  soon  as  the  leaves 
dropped  off  the  trees,  the  old  bachelor  declared  that  there 
were  no  more  tints  worth  remaining  for,  and  he  took  his 
departure.  About  a  month  afterwards,  his  nephew  came 
down,  accompanied  by  a  young  man  who  was  his  tutor, 
and  hired  the  apartments,  much  to  the  joy  of  my 
mother,  who  now  had  hopes  ;  and  much  to  the  annoy- 
ance of  my  sister,  who  had  fears  of  being  per- 
secuted. 

And  now  having,  in  this  chapter,  brought  up  my  history 


248  Poor  Jack 

to  the  commencement  of  the  year  1 805,  I  shall  again  enter 
into  a  more  detailed  narrative. 


Chapter  XXXIV 

More  cry  than  wool. — Bramble  would  dig  a  pit  for  another  and  tumbles  in 
along  with  him. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  March,  1805,  when  the  easterly 
winds  prevailed,  and  vessels  were  detained  in  the  chops  of 
the  Channel,  that  I  agreed  with  Bramble  that  we  would 
return  together  and  halve  the  pilotage.  About  eight 
leagues  from  the  Lizard  Point,  we  boarded  a  small  ship 
which  had  hoisted  the  signal ;  the  weather  at  that  time 
being  fine,  and  the  wind  variable.  When  we  went  on 
board,  it  was  but  just  daylight,  and  the  captain  was  not  yet 
on  deck ;  but  the  mate  received  us :  we  were  surprised  to 
find  that  she  mounted  twelve  brass  guns  remarkably  well 
fitted,  and  that  everything  was  apparently  ready  for  action  j 
rammers  and  sponges,  shot  and  wadding,  being  all  up  and 
at  hand. 

**  A  prime  morning,  shipmate,"  said  Bramble  ; — then 
casting  his  eye  over  the  deck,  "  A  letter  of  marque,  I 
presume." 

**  Yes,"  replied  the  mate,  "  we  have  the  papers,  but  still 
she  has  never  run  without  convoy  since  I  have  been  in  her ; 
we  lost  our  convoy  three  days  back,  and  the  captain  has 
been  rather  uneasy  ever  since." 

"  Uneasy !  why,  I  should  think  that  you  could  beat  off 
a  good  stout  privateer  with  these  guns  of  yours." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  but  what  we  might ;  but  our  cargo 
is  valuable,  and  we  might  be  overpowered." 

*'  Very  true  ;  and  the  captain  must  be  anxious.  Where 
are  you  from  ?  " 

"  Smyrna." 

"  What's  your  cargo  ? " 


Poor  Jack  249 

"  Why,  we  have  raw  silk  and  drysalter's  goods  chiefly. 
D'ye  think  we  shall  have  a  fair  wind  ?  I  don't  care  how 
soon,  for  we've  at  least  twenty  passengers  on  board,  and 
our  provisions  and  water  are  running  rather  short.  Here's 
the  skipper." 

The  captain,  who  now  made  his  appearance,  was  a  tall 
good-looking  young  man,  about  thirty,  dressed  rather 
fantastically,  as  I  thought ;  having  a  laced  cap  on  his  head, 
and  a  parti-coloured  silk  sash  round  his  waist,  such  as  they 
wear  in  the  Mediterranean. 

**  Well,  pilot,  what  do  you  think  of  the  wind  ? " 

*'  Well,  sir,  I  expect  we'll  have  a  slant  which  will  enable 
us  to  fetch  well  to  windward  of  the  Lizard,  at  all  events  ; 
and  then,  when  the  tide  turns  in-shore,  we  must  stand  out 
again." 

"  Mr  Stubbs  !  turn  the  hands  up  to  make  sail." 

**  Ay,  ay,  sir !  "  replied  the  mate. 

The  men  came  on  deck,  but  the  captain  roared  out  for 
the  idlers :  these  were  the  passengers  who  had  agreed  to 
work  during  the  passage :  at  last  they  came  up,  a  queer- 
looking  set ;  and  the  captain  sending  down  for  his  speaking- 
trumpet,  sail  was  made  on  the  ship. 

*'  Why,  captain,"  said  Bramble,  "  you  do  it  in  man-of-war 
fashion." 

"  Well,  I've  not  served  the  king  for  seven  years  for 
nothing,"  replied  he  ;  *'  and  I  hope,  sir,  not  heard  the 
bullets  whistling  about  my  head  like  hail  in  a  hail-storm, 
without  knowing  how  to  take  care  of  my  ship.  I  like 
everything  man-of-war  fashion,  and  then  one's  always 
prepared.     Where's  the  boatswain  ?     Pipe  to  breakfast." 

"  You've  plenty  of  hands  on  board,  mate,"  said  Bramble. 

*'  Yes,  plenty  of  them,  such  as  they  are ;  we've  twenty 
of  the  ship's  company,  and  twenty-five  passengers  from 
Malta." 

After  breakfast,  the  captain  ordered  up  the  small-arm 
men  j  five  seamen  and  fifteen  of  the  passengers  made  their 
appearance  with  their  muskets,  which  were  examined,  and 
they  were  dismissed.     At  eleven  o'clock,  as  we  neared  the 


250  Poor  Jack 

land,  the  men  were  ordered  to  quarters  ;  the  guns  cast 
loose,  and  they  were  exercised  as  on  board  of  a  man-of-war ; 
the  captain  giving  his  orders  with  his  speaking-trumpet. 
"Double-shot  your  guns  !  Run  out !  Point  your  guns  ! 
Fire !  Repel  boarders  on  the  bow !  Repel  boarders  on 
the  quarter  ! "  &c.  This  continued  for  more  than  two 
hours,  when  the  guns  were  again  secured. 

"  Well,  pilot,"  said  the  captain  to  Bramble,  "  what  do 
you  think  ?  do  you  fancy  a  privateer  could  take  us  in 
a  hurry  ? " 

"  Why,  captain,  if  the  men  fight,  I  should  say  not ; 
but,  you  see,  these  guns,  handsome  as  they  are,  won't 
fight  of  themselves." 

**  I'll  answer  for  the  men  fighting  -,  they'll  have  but 
their  choice, — fight,  or  the  contents  of  my  pistol  through 
the  first  man's  head  who  quits  his  gun.  I'll  nail  the 
colours  to  the  mast,  and  see  who  will  be  the  man  who 
will  haul  them  down.  Why,  pilot,  this  vessel  is  insured 
at  £30,000." 

"  Then  she'll  be  a  famous  prize,  if  they  should  contrive 
to  take  her,  that's  all,"  said  Bramble.  "  Halloo  !  what 
vessel's  that  coming  down  ?     Tom,  hand  your  glass  here." 

"  I  hav'n't  got  it  with  me." 

"Well,  give  me  that  one  on  the  skylight.  I  can't  make 
her  out — but  I  don't  much  like  the  looks  of  her." 

"  Heh  !  what's  that  ? "  said  the  captain.  *'  Let  me 
look  : — oh,  she's  a  square-rigged  vessel,  a' n't  she  ?  " 

"  Can't  tell,"  said  Bramble. 

"  The  mate,  who  had  fetched  his  glass  from  below, 
looked  at  her,  and  said  it  was  a  coasting  schooner. 

**  Are  you  sure  of  that.?"  said  the  captain.  "Let  me 
see : — well,  I  don't  know  what  to  say —  she  does  look 
rakish — I'll  go  forward  and  make  her  out." 

"Why,  it's  a  coaster.  Bramble,"  said  I,  as  the  captain 
walked  forward. 

"  I  know  that,"  replied  Bramble,  with  a  wink. 

The  captain  returned,  probably  satisfied  that  it  was  only 
a  coaster,  but  he  did  not  choose  to  say  so.     "Well,  I 


Poor  Jack  251 

don't  know  what  to  make  of  her ;  but  at  all  events  there's 
nothing  like  being  ready.  She's  coming  down  fast  upon 
us  ;  Mr  Stubbs,  we'll  beat  to  quarters." 

Again  the  people  were  called  up  and  the  guns  cast 
loose  ;  the  powder  was  handed  up,  and  all  was  prepara- 
tion. I  did  not  think,  however,  that  the  passengers 
appeared  at  all  zealous ;  but  that  I  was  not  surprised  at ; 
the  captain  harangued  them,  calling  them  Britons,  &c., 
and,  hoping  that  they  would  show  what  stuff  they  were 
made  of;  talked  about  the  honour  of  Old  England,  and 
a  great  deal  more,  and  then  examined  the  vessel  again 
with  his  glass.  "  We'll  give  her  the  starboard  broadside, 
and  then  wear  round  his  stern  and  give  her  the  other. 
Hoist  the  colours  !  " 

As  soon  as  we  hoisted  the  colours,  the  schooner  hoisted 
English  colours  also. 

*'  English  colours,  sir  !  "  said  the  mate,  grinning. 

"  English  colours,  heh !  Very  well ;  but  that  may 
be  a  feint — keep  to  your  guns,  my  lads." 

The  vessel  now  ran  by  us ;  she  was  deeply  laden,  and 
as  broad  as  she  was  long. 

"No  privateer  this  time,  captain,"  said  Bramble, 
laughing. 

"  No,  all's  right ;  secure  the  guns,  my  lads.  We'd 
have  given  her  a  nice  peppering  if  she'd  been  a  French 
privateer." 

The  captain  then  went  down  below  to  put  away  his 
sword  and  pistols,  which  the  cabin  boy  had  brought  on  deck. 

"It's  my  opinion,  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  "that  this 
skipper  a'n't  quite  so  fond  of  fighting  as  he  pretends  to 
be.     I'll  see  if  I  can't  frighten  him  a  little." 

As  soon  as  the  captain  came  on  deck  again.  Bramble 
said,  "  We'll  go  about,  if  you  please." 

"What!  about  already?  why,  we're  good  three 
leagues  from  the  shore." 

"Yes,  sir,  but  the  tide  has  made,  and  we  must  now 
make  a  long  stretch-out  towards  the  French  coast.  We 
won't  tack  again  till  about  dark." 


252  Poor  Jack 

"  Not  tack  till  dark,  pilot  ?  surely  we  will  do  better 
keeping  on  the  English  coast." 

"  No,  no,  sir ;  if  we  were  not  so  well  manned  and  so 
well  armed  I  should  do  it ;  but,  as  we  are  a  match  for 
any  privateer,  why,  we  may  as  well  make  a  long  leg — 
we  shall  be  up  Channel  sooner." 

'*  "Well,  I  don't  know  what  to  say ;  I've  a  heavy  re- 
sponsibility with  such  a  valuable  cargo." 

**  Well,  tack  if  you  please,  sir,"  said  Bramble,  shortly. 

**  Oh,  certainly  ; — hands  about  ship  !  " 

The  vessel's  head  was  put  off  shore,  and,  with  a  smart 
breeze,  we  walked  away  fast  from  the  land.  At  twelve 
o'clock  the  captain  proposed  standing  in-shore  again,  but 
Bramble  refused.  At  three  o'clock  he  became  very  uneasy, 
and  expostulated  with  Bramble,  who  replied,  **  Well,  sir, 
I'm  doing  all  for  the  best ;  but  if  you  are  afraid " 

*'  Afraid  !  "  cried  the  captain ;  "  afraid  of  what,  I  should 
like  to  know  ?  No,  I'm  not  afraid  ;  but  it  appears  to  me 
that  we  ought  to  make  the  land  again  before  night." 

"  I'll  answer  for  knowing  where  we  are,  sir,  if  that  is 
your  reason ;  at  all  events,  I  wish  to  stand  out  till  six 
o'clock." 

"Well,  do  so,  then,  if  you  choose — I'm  sure  I  don't  care 
if  you  stand  to  within  gun-shot  of  the  French  coast ; "  and 
the  captain,  evidently  very  much  annoyed,  went  down  into 
the  cabin. 

About  half-past  four  o'clock  the  mate  came  aft  and  took 
up  the  glass,  saying  that  there  was  an  awkward-looking 
craft  on  the  weather-bow.  He  came  aft  again,  and  said, 
"Pilot,  I  wish  you  would  take  a  squint  at  that  craft,  for  I 
don't  much  like  the  look  of  her." 

Bramble  went  forward,  and  I  followed  him.  "  I  say, 
Tom,  that's  a  French  privateer,  as  sure  as  we  stand  here," 
said  he.  "  Look  at  her.  Well,  now  we  shall  see  what 
these  guns  are  made  of." 

"  Don't  put  too  much  trust  in  them,"  said  the  mate  •,  "  I 
know  what  sort  of  people  we  have  here.  Had  we  only  ten 
good  men,  I  wouldn't  care  for  a  privateer ;  but  I'm  afraid 


Poor  Jack  253 

that  we  have  not  many  we  can  trust  to.  However,  we'll 
do  our  best,  and  we  can  do  no  more.  I'll  go  down  and 
tell  the  captain." 

"It  is  a  Frenchman,"  replied  I,  '*  and  no  mistake — every 
rope  and  every  sail  on  her  are  French  ; "  for  the  vessel, 
which  was  a  lugger,  was  not  more  than  four  miles  from  us. 

"  Well,"  replied  Bramble,  '*  it  would  be  odd  if  we 
were  to  be  taken  into  a  French  port  after  all,  wouldn't  it  ? 
— not  very  pleasant,  though." 

"  We've  men  enough  to  beat  her  off,  or  two  of  her,  if 
that's  all,"  replied  I. 

"  Yes,  Tom,  but  I  doubt  the  captain ;  and  without 
example  men  don't  fight  well.  However,  we'll  do  our 
best ;  and  if  he  flinches,  we  won't." 

The  captain  now  came  forward  as  red  as  a  turkey-cock ; 
he  said  nothing — looked  at  the  vessel — and  then  turned  as 
white  as  a  sheet. 

*'  She's  more  than  our  match,  if  she's  an  enemy,"  said 
he. 

*'  I  should  rather  think  not,  sir,"  replied  Bjamble. 
"  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  make  your  men  fight,  and  nail 
your  colours  to  the  mast." 

"  That's  very  true  when  there's  a  fair  chance  of  success, 
but  it's  useless  sacrificing  the  men  against  so  very  superior 
a  force,"  replied  the  captain. 

"  But  it  a'n't  superior,  nor  in  guns  is  she  your  equal,  if 
I  know  anything  about  a  vessel.  At  all  events,  I  suppose, 
you'll  have  a  trial  for  it  ?  Won't  you  beat  to  quarters, 
captain  ? " 

"  Oh,  to  be  sure ;  Mr  Stubbs,  beat  to  quarters.  I 
think  it  would  not  be  a  bad  thing  to  fire  off  our  broadsides 
now,  and  let  them  see  that  we  are  well  armed." 

The  men  were  summoned  up  to  quarters,  and  very 
unwillingly  did  they  obey :  some  said  that  they  did  not 
come  on  board  to  fight ;  others,  that  they  had  agreed  to 
work  the  passage  home,  but  not  to  stand  to  be  shot  at ; 
and  some  were  actually  going  down  below  again,  when 
Bramble  and  the  mate  spoke  to  them  and  persuaded  them 


254  Poor  Jack 

to  remain  on  deck.  Still  there  was  no  willingness  shown ; 
and  although  Bramble  told  them  how  many  privateers  had 
been  beaten  off,  and  mentioned  particularly  the  Leith 
smack  having  the  other  day  fought  with  one  an  hour  and 
a  half,  and  knocked  her  all  to  pieces,  they  still  appeared 
uneasy  and  wavering. 

In  the  meantime  the  privateer  was  within  a  mile  of  us, 
and  had  hoisted  French  colours. 

"  "We'll  keep  away  and  give  her  the  first  broadside," 
cried  the  captain. 

"  You'd  better  hoist  your  colours  first,"  observed 
Bramble,  quietly. 

"  Hoist  the  colours,  Mr  Stubbs  !  Port  the  helm !  Look 
out,  my  men  !  Point  the  guns  to  the  object  !  Fire  !  " 

Off  went  all  the  guns,  not  only  on  the  starboard  side, 
in  the  direction  of  the  privateer,  but  all  those  on  the 
larboard  side  as  well ;  and  this  circumstance  probably  gave 
the  people  on  board  of  the  privateer  some  idea  of  the  state 
of  confusion  we  were  in.  She  now  rounded  to,  and  gave 
us  her  broadside  of  three  guns  :  they  were  well  directed, 
and  did  us  some  damage  in  the  upper  works  and  rigging  ; 
but  still  more  in  frightening  the  people,  who  were  now 
running  down  below,  notwithstanding  the  exertions  of  the 
mate.  Bramble,  one  or  two  of  the  seamen,  and  myself ;  but 
our  fate  was  soon  decided  by  the  captain,  who  cried  out, 
"  It's  useless  contending  against  such  a  superior  force." 
With  this  observation  he  ran  aft  and  hauled  down  the 
colours.  As  soon  as  the  men  perceived  this,  they  all  left 
the  guns  ;  at  another  broadside  from  the  privateer  they  all 
scampered  down  below,  and  at  the  same  time  the  captain 
went  down  into  his  cabin.  There  was  none  but  the  mate, 
the  boatswain.  Bramble  and  myself,  left  on  deck. 

"  Pleasant,"  said  Bramble.  *'  I  thought  as  much.  "Well, 
Tom,  here  we  are  in  for  it.  Come  with  me  to  the  helm, 
for  these  French  fellows  will  board,  and  they  make  very 
free  with  their  cutlasses,  even  after  colours  are  hauled 
down.  Well,"  said  he,  as  he  walked  aft,  "  I  did  not 
think  to  see  the  English  flag  so  disgraced.     Poor  Bessy, 


Poor  Jack  255 

too !  Well,  never  mind.  I  say,  mate,  just  let  go  the 
weather  main-braces  and  bow-lines,  and  square  the  yards, 
for  it's  better  to  be  as  humble  as  possible,  now  that 
we  can't  help  ourselves ;  and  do  you  and  the  boatswain  go 
down  below,  for  they  cut  right  and  left,  these  fellows. 
They  do  pay  a  little  more  civility  to  pilots,  as  they  ar'n't 
belonging  to  the  ship." 

This  advice  of  Bramble's,  which  was  very  good,  was 
followed  by  the  mate  and  boatswain. 

"Shall  I  run  down  and  look  after  our  kits?"  said  I 
to  Bramble. 

"  No,  Tom,  don't  have  anything  in  your  hand,  or  they 
will  take  it  from  you,  and  most  likely  give  you  a  rap  on 
the  head  with  a  cutlass  at  the  same  time  ;  for  privateer- 
men  of  all  nations  are  little  better  than  pirates,  and  don't 
know  how  to  behave  in  victory.  Just  keep  where  you  are 
— look  as  if  you  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  ship,  except 
the  steering  of  her.     Here  they  come  !  " 

As  he  spoke,  the  lugger  touched  our  weather  side,  at 
the  same  time  lowering  down  her  foresail  and  mainsail 
with  no  little  noise  and  confusion ;  in  a  second  or  two 
there  were  thirty  of  their  men  on  our  decks,  flourishing 
their  cutlasses,  and  looking  round  with  their  pistols  ready 
cocked  in  their  left  hands  for  somebody  to  let  fly  at.  At 
last  they  came  aft.  "Pilot!"  cried  Bramble,  taking  off 
his  hat.  I  did  the  same.  With  reiterated  sacres  and  diables 
of  every  description,  some  now  rushed  down  into  the  cabin, 
while  others  went  down  the  fore-hatchway,  while  more  of 
the  men  from  the  lugger  poured  upon  our  decks ;  but 
none  of  them  molested  Bramble  or  me,  as  we  continued 
standing  at  the  wheel.  In  about  ten  minutes  order  was  to 
a  certain  degree  restored  by  the  captain  of  the  privateer,  who 
had  come  on  board.  I  perceived  him  express  his  surprise 
to  his  officers  who  were  with  him  at  the  armament  of  the 
ship,  and  he  appeared  very  much  pleased;  it  was  not 
necessary  to  understand  French  for  that.  He  then  came 
up  to  Bramble,  and  spoke  to  him  in  French ;  but  Bramble 
only  pointed  to  me  and  then  to  himself,  and  said  *'  pilot." 


256  Poor  Jack 

The  captain  called  for  a  young  Frenchman  who  could  speak 
English,  and  then  asked  Bramble  what  was  the  cargo. 

"  Bramble,  to  please  him,  replied  that  it  was  silk  and 
other  goods  to  the  value  of  ^^30,000  English. 

**  How  many  men  ?  " 

**  Forty-five  men." 

The  French  captain  rubbed  his  hands  with  ecstasy, 
as  well  he  might.  Just  at  this  moment,  the  English 
captain  came  upon  deck,  followed  by  two  of  the  privateer's 
men,  one  of  whom  had  taken  possession  of  his  laced  cap, 
and  the  other  of  his  silk  sash.  He  brought  his  sword  in 
his  hand,  and  presented  it  to  the  captain  of  the  privateer, 
saying,  "It  is  no  disgrace  for  one  brave  man  to  deliver  up 
his  sword  to  another." 

**  Que  dit  il  ? "  said  the  captain  of  the  privateer  to  the 
young  man  who  interpreted.  The  young  man  translated 
this  fine  speech,  upon  which  the  French  captain  called  the 
English  one  by  a  very  contemptuous  title,  and  turned  away. 
The  privateer's  men  now  made  their  appearance  from  below, 
having  helped  themselves  to  everything  they  could  find  :  the 
orders  were  then  given  for  the  prisoners  to  be  brought 
upon  deck  ;  they  were  driven  up,  many  of  them  bleeding 
from  wounds  received  in  attempts  to  rescue  their  personal 
property,  and  were  handed  over  to  the  lugger.  A  prize 
master  with  twenty  men  were  put  on  board  5  the  lugger 
was  hauled  off,  the  only  Englishmen  allowed  to  remain  in 
the  captured  vessel  being  Bramble  and  myself.  As  soon 
as  the  vessels  were  clear,  they  made  sail,  running  about 
two  points  free  for  the  French  coast. 


Chapter  XXXV 

We  have  great  hopes  of  not  seeing  the  inside  of  a  French  prison,  but  we 
are  disappointed. 

"  Well,  Tom,  this  is  a  bad  job,"  said  Bramble  to  me, 
taking  his  seat  upon  the  hencoop  aft.     "  By  to-morrow  at 


Poor  Jack  257 

noon,  unless  we  fall  in  with  a  cruiser, — and  I  see  little 
chance  of  that, — we  shall  be  locked  up  in  a  French  prison  ; 
ay,  and  Heaven  knows  how  long  we  may  stay  there ! 
What's  to  become  of  poor  little  Bessy  ?  I'm  sure  I  don't 
know.  I  must  contrive  to  write  over  to  lawyer  Wilson, 
and  put  him  in  charge  of  everything ;  but  I'm  sorry  for 
you,  my  poor  lad — it's  hard  for  you  to  be  locked  up, 
perhaps  for  years,  when  you  might  have  been  making 
money  for  yourself." 

"Well,  it  can't  be  helped,  father;  we  must  make  the 
best  of  it,"  replied  I,  with  a  deep  sigh ;  for  I  was  anything 
but  happy  at  the  prospect. 

"If  it  had  not  been  for  that  swaggering  coward,  this 
might  not  have  happened,"  replied  Bramble ;  "  it's  some- 
what my  own  fault — I  was  so  anxious  to  frighten  him 
about  nothing  ;  but  at  last  I  run  us  into  real  danger  ;  and 
I  might  have  known  that  he  never  would  have  fought, 
although  I  certainly  had  no  idea  of  falling  in  with  a 
privateer.     Well,  Tom,  we  must  not  lose  a  chance." 

*'  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that,  if  there  is  any  possibility  of  getting  away, 
I  shall  J  and  you,  of  course,  will  not  stay  behind.  I  don't 
know  where  they  are  going  to ;  but  you  see,  Tom,  our 
only  chance  of  getting  off  is  while  we  are  on  the  coast ;  if 
once  we  are  marched  into  the  interior,  why  then  it  will  be 
almost  hopeless.  What  we  must  try  for  is,  to  get  away  at 
the  port  where  we  land.     We  shall  see." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  there's  very  little  chance  for  us," 
replied  I ;  "  but  I'm  ready  to  attempt  anything." 

"  We  shall  see,  Tom — where  there's  a  will  thei-e's  a 
way :  however,  it's  no  use  talking  about  it  just  now." 
Here  Bramble  filled  his  pipe,  took  out  his  flint  and  steel, 
and  lighted  it. 

After  smoking  for  ten  minutes,  during  which  I  stood  by 
him,  he  said,  "I  wonder  where  they  will  take  us  to,  St 
Malo's  or  Morlaix,  for  the  course  they  are  steering  will 
fetch,  I  should  think,  thereabouts.  One  thing  is  certain — 
they've  got  a  good  prize,  and  they  mean  to  keep  it  if  they 

P.J.  R 


258  Poor  Jack 

can ;  and,  my  eyes !  if  they  won't  make  a  fuss  about  it ! 
A  ship  with  twelve  guns  taken  by  a  lugger  with  only  six ! 
They'll  make  the  ship  mount  eighteen  or  twenty  guns,  and 
have  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  on  board,  and  they'll  swear 
they  fought  us  for  three  hours.  They  have  something  to 
boast  of,  that's  certain  -,  and  I  suspect  that  French  captain 
is  a  brave  sort  of  chap,  from  the  sneer  he  gave  when  our 
cowardly  English  lubber  gave  him  so  fine  a  speech.  Well, 
it's  our  disgrace  !  " 

Here  Bramble  was  silent  for  some  time,  when  I  said  to 
him,  "You  were  stating  to  the  men  how  a  Leith  smack 
beat  ofT  a  privateer  the  other  day  ;  I  never  heard  of  it." 

'*  Yes,  I  heard  it  when  I  was  up  above  Greenwich.  I 
met  an  old  friend  who  was  on  board  of  her,  for  he  took 
his  passage  in  her  from  London. 

'*  *  Why,'  says  he  to  me,  *  Bramble,  I  thought  we  never 
should  have  got  away  from  the  river,  for  the  old  captain, 
who  was  as  big  round  as  a  puncheon,  and  not  unlike  one, 
declared  that  he  would  not  sail  until  the  powder  came  up 
from  Woolwich ;  for  the  Qtieen  Charlotte  (that  was  the 
name  of  the  smack)  carried  six  eighteen-pound  carronades. 
We  waited  nearly  a  week  for  the  powder,  and  many  a 
laugh  we  all  had  about  it,  thinking  old  Nesbitt  was  not 
much  of  a  fighter,  from  his  making  so  much  fuss.  Well, 
at  last  we  boomed  her  off  from  the  wharf,  and  about  seven 
that  night  got  clear  of  the  Thames  ;  it  was  a  fine  breeze 
all  night,  and  we  ran  through  the  Swin  by  the  lead,  which 
is  what  everyone  won't  attempt :  next  morning  we  were 
off  Yarmouth  Roads,  with  the  water  as  yellow  as  pea- 
soup  ;  never  saw  it  otherwise,  and  Fm  an  old  collier ; 
reason  why,  the  swells  of  the  ocean  thrashes  up  the  sands 
off  there — ay,  and  shifts  them  too,  occasionally,  which  is 
of  more  consequence.  Well,  Bramble,'  says  he,  *  well,  on 
we  went  j  hauled  in  through  Harborough  Gut  j  then  the 
sun  had  so  much  power — for  it  was  in  the  dog  days — that 
it  eat  up  the  wind,  and  we  were  obliged  to  content  our- 
selves with  getting  four  knots  out  of  her.  Just  as  we 
made  the  Dudgeon  Light-boat,  old  Nesbitt's  son  comes  aft 


Poor  Jack  259 

to  his  father,  who  was  steering  the  craft,  and  says, 
"  Father,  do  you  see  that  'ere  brig  crowding  all  sail  after 
us  ?  I  think  it  be  the  New  Custom  House  brig  trying  his 
rate  of  sailing  with  us." 

((  t  "Never  you  mind  what  she  is,  boy,"  says  the  cap- 
tain, '*  but  away  up  and  furl  the  gafF-topsail." 

"  '  Meanwhile  the  brig  overhauled  us  fast,  and  old 
Nesbitt  kept  a-looking  round  at  her  every  two  or  three 
minutes.  At  last  he  says  to  the  mate,  "  Take  the  wheel  a 
bit,"  and  he  goes  first  and  looks  over  the  quarter.  "  I 
see,"  says  he ;  "I  say,  you  sergeant  and  corporal "  (for 
we  had  a  recruiting  party  on  board),  "  suppose  now  you 
just  help  us  to  load  our  guns  and  work  them  a  little,  for  I 
expect  this  here  craft  will  give  us  plenty  to  do." 

*' '  Well,  Bramble,  as  I  stand  here,  if  six  of  them  lobsters 
didn't  say  nothing,  but  just  walk  down  below :  but  the 
sergeant  was  a  trump  of  a  fellow,  and  so  was  his  wife  j  he 
threw  off  his  coat  and  cap  covered  with  ribands,  tied  a 
handkerchief  round  his  head,  and  set  to  work  with  a  will ; 
and  his  wife  backed  him  to  the  last,  handing  the  powder 
and  everything  else.  Well,  we  had  with  us  ten  men  who 
all  stood  to  guns ;  but  the  passengers  went  down  below 
with  the  soldiers.  Well,  on  comes  the  brig  upon  our 
starboard  quarter  as  if  to  board  ;  all  her  forerigging,  and 
forechains,  and  forecastle,  being  full  of  men  as  bees  in  a 
swarm. 

"  *  "  Are  you  all  ready,  my  men  ?  "  said  the  captain. 

"  *  «  Yes,  all  ready,  sir." 

•*  *  "  Yes,  and  I  be  ready  too,  massa  !  "  cried  the  black 
cook,  bringing  out  from  the  caboose  the  red-hot  poker. 

"  *  "  Well,  then,  up  on  the  wind  with  her,  and  fire 
when  the  guns  bear." 

"  '  The  men  kept  their  eyes  on  the  guns ;  and  when 
they  cried  "  fire  !  "  the  cook  set  them  all  off,  one  after 
another,  with  the  hot  poker,  and  no  small  mischief  did 
these  three  guns  do.  His  forecastle  was  cleared  of  men  in 
no  time ;  down  came  his  gaff  and  fore-topsail,  and  being 
now  right  on  our  beam,  he  put  his  helm  up  to  lay  us  on 


26o  Poor  Jack 

board  ;  but  we  were  too  quick  for  him — we  wore  round 
too,  and  gave  him  the  three  other  guns,  which  did  him  no 
good. 

"  *  Well,  he  came  after  us  on  the  other  tack,  and  pelted 
us  with  musketry  in  a  cruel  way.  The  mate  was  hit  in 
the  head,  and  taken  down  below ;  and  poor  old  Nesbitt, 
who  was  at  the  wheel,  steering  the  craft  beautifully,  had  a 
bullet  right  into  his  bow- window,  as  they  call  it.  "  Well," 
the  old  fellow  says,  "  here's  a  shot  between  wind  and 
water,  I  reckon— we  must  have  a  plug  j  '*  so  he  puts  his 
flippers  into  his  waistband,  and  stuffs  his  flannel  jacket  into 
the  hole.  Then  we  throws  her  up  in  the  wind  again,  and 
rakes  him  with  our  three  guns  well  into  him,  and  carries 
away  more  of  his  gear,  and  stops  his  sailing, — and  so  we 
goes  on  for  a  whole  hour  and  thirty-five  minutes  j  and,  to 
make  a  long  story  short,  we  beat  him  off,  and  he  turned 
tail  and  ran  for  it  with  both  pumps  going.' 

"  Now  you  see,  Tom,  that's  the  account  of  the  affair 
given  to  me  by  a  man  who  I  can  trust ;  and  there  you 
see  what  can  be  done  if  men  are  resolute  and  determined  to 
fight.  Some  little  difference  between  that  affair  and  this 
one,  Tom." 

"  Did  old  Nesbitt  die  or  recover  ?" 

"  I  asked  that  question :  he  was  doing  well  when  my 
friend  left ;  somehow  or  another  no  vital  part  was  injured, 
and  he  has  had  many  presents  made  him  for  his  gallant 
conduct ;  and  the  sergeant  was  well  rewarded  also.  Well, 
my  pipe's  out,  and  it's  not  far  from  midnight  •,  I  should 
think  we  may  just  as  well  try  for  a  little  sleep,  Tom,  for 
perhaps  we  may  not  get  any  for  some  time  to  come." 

Bramble  coiled  himself  up  under  the  bulwark  ;  I  did  the 
same ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  both  had  forgotten  whether 
we  were  in  our  beds  at  our  house  at  Deal,  or  prisoners 
bound  for  the  French  coast. 

At  daylight  the  next  morning  Bramble  roused  me  up. 

"  Here  we  are  now,  Tom  !  here's  the  French  coast  not 
four  leagues  from  us ;  but  it's  hazy,  and  I  cannot  make  it 
out  very  clear  j  however,  the  sun  will  soon  drive  all  this 


Poor  Jack  261 

away,  and  we  shall  have  a  fine  day  ;  but  the  wind  has  gone 
down,  and  I  think  we  shall  have  still  less  of  it." 

And  so  it  proved ;  for,  as  the  sun  rose,  the  wind  became 
very  light,  so  that  we  did  not  go  through  the  water  more 
than  three  knots.  We  were  looking  at  the  coast,  when 
the  report  of  a  gun  saluted  our  ears ;  it  was  from  the 
privateer ;  we  turned  to  that  quarter,  and  found  that  there 
was  a  cutter  about  two  miles  from  the  privateer,  crowding 
all  sail  towards  us. 

"  Tom  !  "  cried  Bramble,  "  there's  a  chance  for  us  yet — 
that's  an  English  privateer,  and  she  will  try  to  retake  us  for 
the  sake  of  the  salvage.  But  here's  a  boat  coming  from 
the  Frenchman — what  can  that  be  for  ?  " 

The  boat  rowed  alongside  of  us,  and  out  jumped  the 
captain  of  the  French  privateer  with  twenty  of  his  best 
men,  and  the  boat  was  then  dropped  astern. 

The  Frenchmen  immediately  cast  loose  the  guns,  went 
down  for  the  powder,  and  prepared  for  action. 

**  I  see,  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  "  he's  a  clever  fellow,  this 
skipper ;  he  knows  that  this  ship  and  cargo  is  worth  a 
dozen  of  his  little  privateer,  and  his  object  is  to  get  her  in 
— so  he's  come  with  all  his  best  men  on  board  of  us,  leaving 
his  first  officer  to  make  the  best  fight  with  the  privateer 
that  he  can.  Well,  he's  right  5  and  if  it  wasn't  that  I  don't 
like  to  go  to  prison,  I  wish  he  may  succeed,  for  he  has  got 
sense  as  well  as  courage,  I  think." 

The  ship  was  now  kept  away  two  points  more,  that  she 
might  go  through  the  water  as  fast  as  she  could  j  and  in 
the  meantime  the  action  commenced  between  the  English 
cutter  and  the  French  privateer,  the  latter  evidently  attempt- 
ing to  cripple  the  masts  and  rigging  of  the  former.  The 
cutter,  however,  steered  right  for  us,  and  evidently  came 
up  fast  J  the  French  privateer,  weak  handed,  as  she  must 
have  been,  behaved  very  well,  throwing  herself  across  the 
cutter's  bows,  and  doing  everything  she  could  to  prevent 
her  coming  up  with  us ;  both  vessels  were  very  much  cut 
up  before  the  cutter  came  within  three  cables'  length  of  us, 
when  the  French  captain  ordered  French  colours  to   be 


262  Poor  Jack 

hoisted,  and,  rounding  to,  poured  in  a  well-directed  broad- 
side, which  quite  astonished  the  English  privateer,  who 
imagined  that  we  were  an  unarmed  merchantman.  The 
action  now  became  very  warm ;  we  standing  on,  and  every 
now  and  then  rounding  to  and  raking  the  cutter,  while  the 
French  privateer  engaged  her  broadside  to  broadside.  The 
French  captain  was  abaft,  giving  his  orders  with  the  greatest 
coolness  and  ability,  when  a  shot  from  the  cutter  came  in 
on  deck,  and  a  large  splinter  which  it  tore  off  knocked  him 
down  on  his  back.  Bramble  and  I  both  ran  to  him  and 
helped  him  up — we  could  not  help  it,  although  he  was  an 
enemy.  He  was  not  hurt,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  on  his 
legs  he  laughed,  and  thanked  us  in  French.  The  cutter 
still  continued  the  fight  until  we  were  within  three  miles 
of  the  coast,  when,  all  her  spars  and  sails  being  cut  to 
pieces,  she  hauled  to  the  wind  and  stood  out  to  the  offing. 

'*  "Well,  Tom,  there's  all  our  hopes  ended,"  said  Bramble; 
"  so  now  I'll  light  my  pipe.  Well,  I  will  say  it's  been  a 
good  fight  on  both  sides." 

Here  the  captain  came  up  to  us  and  said,  "  Bien  oblige, 
— tank  you." 

The  cutter  did  not,  however,  stand  out  for  more  than  a 
few  minutes,  when  she  hove-to  and  repaired  damages, 
evidently  intending  to  renew  the  action.  I  pointed  this  out 
to  Bramble.  **  I  see,  I  see,"  replied  he ;  "  she  intends  to 
try  and  cut  us  off  from  Morlaix,  which  is  to  windward, 
and  oblige  us  to  fight  or  run  for  St  Malo's,  which  is  a  long 
way  to  leeward  j  in  either  case  she  will  be  able  to  attack 
us  again,  as  she  outsails  us :  perhaps  the  fight  is  not  over 
yet." 

But  the  Frenchman  also  understood  what  he  was  about, 
and  he  now  steered  a  course.  When  we  were  about  two 
miles  from  the  land,  and  about  the  same  distance  from 
the  cutter,  the  latter  kept  away  so  as  to  oblige  the  ship 
to  come  to  action  again  before  she  reached  Morlaix  ;  but, 
before  she  closed  with  us,  we  discovered  that  we  were 
entering  a  small  French  port,  which  had  not  been  visible 
to  us,  called  (I  think)  Lanion,  situated  between  Isle  Bichat 


Poor  Jack  263 

and  Morlaix.  When  within  half  a  mile  of  the  land, 
French  over  English  was  hoisted  at  our  peak,  and  a 
French  pennant  over  an  English  pennant  at  our  main. 

**  I  told  you  so,"  said  Bramble  ;  "  they  have  made  a 
man-of-war  out  of  us,  and  now  there'll  be  no  end  to  the 
lies  that  they  will  tell ;  for  though  these  French  fellows 
do  not  fight  quite  so  well  as  we  do,  at  lying  they'll  beat 
us  hollow,  any  day  of  the  week.  Never  mind,  Tom ! 
we  must  keep  a  sharp  look  out,  and  there's  no  saying — 
keep  your  eyes  open  as  we  go  into  the  harbour  ; — I  never 
was  here  before,  but  I  suspect  it's  nothing  better  than 
a  poor  fishing  town." 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  ship  and  privateer  were 
both  made  fast  to  an  old  stone  pier  which  ran  out  from 
the  town  ;  but  there  were  no  other  vessels  in  the  harbour 
except  two  small  coasting  chasses  marees,  and  about  a 
dozen  fishing  boats. 

The  harbour  was  formed  by  the  mouth  of  a  small  river, 
which  ran  down  through  a  very  narrow  alluvial  flat, 
backed  by  precipitous  rocks.  On  the  right  side  of  the 
river  on  entering,  and  on  the  level  ground  above  mentioned, 
which  extended  back  perhaps  two  hundred  yards,  until 
it  was  met  by  the  rocky  cliffs,  was  situated  the  village 
which,  centuries  back,  must  have  been  the  town  of 
Lanion.  It  consisted  of  perhaps  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  houses,  few  of  them  of  any  size, 
the  major  portion  with  walls  built  of  mud  and  white- 
washed over.  The  only  remains  of  the  former  town 
were  a  stone  built  market-place,  the  portion  of  the  Hotel 
de  Ville  in  which  the  mayor  resided,  and  the  old  church, 
which,  although  perfect  in  its  walls,  was  sadly  dilapidated 
in  the  roof.  It  had  long  been  deserted,  and  a  small 
chapel  had  been  built  in  lieu  of  it,  in  which  the  only 
cure  of  the  place  performed  the  service.  The  massive 
stones  of  which  the  now  neglected  pier  had  once  been 
built  proved  that  at  one  time  considerable  expense  had 
been  incurred  in  the  formation  of  this  small  harbour. 

A  battery  mounting  two  guns  at  the  end  of  the  pier 


264  Poor  Jack 

protected  the  mouth  of  the  harbour  ;  and  there  was  a 
guard  of  a  sergeant  and  twelve  invalids,  who  were 
stationed  there  to  man  the  guns  upon  the  approach  of 
an  enemy. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  the  confusion  which 
took  place  as  soon  as  the  two  vessels  were  fairly  alongside 
the  wharf,  and  made  fast  with  hawsers  to  the  massive 
iron  rings  which  had  for  centuries  been  fixed  in  the 
ponderous  stones  of  which  the  pier  was  composed.  There 
was  the  mayor  with  his  cocked-hat  on,  but  his  leather 
apron  still  tied  in  front,  for  he  had  been  working  at  his 
calling ;  there  was  the  sergeant  of  the  invalids,  who, 
perhaps,  was  a  greater  man  than  the  mayor,  all  beard 
and  mustachios,  but  so  thin  in  his  person,  that  he  looked 
as  if  a  stout  breeze  would  have  blown  him  away ;  and 
there  were  the  soldiers  leaning  on  their  muskets.  These 
were  the  most  important  personages,  but  they  were  backed 
by  the  whole  population  of  the  town,  amounting  to  about 
three  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  all  talking, 
jabbering,  and  screaming :  add  to  them  the  captain  of  the 
privateer,  so  important  that  he  could  not  attend  to  even 
the  mayor  or  the  sergeant ;  and  the  privateer's  men, 
dressed  in  every  fashion,  armed  to  the  teeth,  all  explain- 
ing, or  pushing  away,  or  running  here  and  there  obeying 
orders  ;  then  the  wounded  men  —  for  they  had  several 
men  killed,  and  others  hurt  in  the  conflict  with  the  cutter 
— handed  up  one  by  one,  bandaged  here  and  there,  and 
exciting  the  compassion  and  even  screams  of  the  women ; 
the  prisoners,  who  had  been  ordered  to  come  on  deck, 
half  dressed  and  chap-fallen  j  the  sails  of  the  vessels 
only  clewed  up,  and  still  fluttering  ;  ensigns  and  pennants 
hoisted  upon  every  mast,  and  waving  over  the  heads  of 
the  crowd  assembled  at  the  pier,  and  you  may  have  some 
idea  of  the  confused  and  bustling  scene. 

At  last,  as  there  appeared  no  chance  of  anything  being 
arranged  while  the  people  crowded  round,  the  captain  of 
the  privateer  ordered  his  men  to  draw  their  weapons  and 
drive  back  the  crowd, — which  was  soon  eiFected,  notwith- 


Poor  Jack  265 

standing  many  oaths  and  more  screaming  on  the  part  of 
the  fairer  sex ;  and  when  the  crowd  had  been  thus  driven, 
the  men  were  stationed  so  as  to  keep  them  back.  At  first, 
this  gave  offence  to  all  parties ; — to  the  crowd,  because 
they  didn't  like  to  be  driven  away — to  the  mayor,  who 
remained  with  the  sergeant  and  invalids  in  the  area  which 
had  been  cleared  by  the  privateer's  people,  because  he 
thought  that  they  had  interfered  with  his  civil  authority — 
and  to  the  sergeant  of  invalids,  because  he  thought  that 
the  marine  force  had  interfered  with  his  military  authority  ; 
but  the  captain  of  the  privateer  having  taken  off  his  hat 
and  bowed,  first  to  the  mayor  and  then  to  the  sergeant, 
and  saying  how  much  he  was  obliged  to  them  for  their 
assistance,  both  parties  were  satisfied :  and  now  a  consulta- 
tion was  held  between  them  how  to  proceed ;  while  the 
privateer's  men,  who  kept  back  the  crowd,  amused  them 
by  giving  a  detail  of  the  two  desperate  actions  which 
had  been  fought, — no  two  accounts  agreeing,  certainly ; 
but  that  was  of  no  consequence. 

The  first  question  to  be  canvassed  was,  what  was  to  be 
done  with  the  prisoners  ?  Morlaix  was  the  nearest  town 
in  which  they  would  be  under  safe  keeping,  but  that  was 
twenty  miles  distant,  and  it  would  be  necessary  to  send 
over  an  express,  so  that  a  sufficient  force  might  be  de- 
spatched to  Lanion  to  escort  the  prisoners  there.  This 
Mr  Mayor  undertook  to  do  immediately :  a  boy  was 
summoned  to  take  over  the  communication,  and  the  mayor 
went  up  to  write  his  letter  to  the  authorities,  while  the 
wounded  men  were  carried  away,  and,  by  the  direction 
of  the  cure,  who  had  just  arrived  and  joined  the  consulta- 
tion, billeted  upon  different  houses  in  the  town.  The 
express  having  been  despatched,  and  the  wounded  safely 
housed  and  under  the  care  of  the  village  ^sculapius, 
who  never  had  such  a  job  in  his  whole  life,  the  next 
point  of  consultation  was  how  to  dispose  of  the  prisoners 
until  the  force  should  arrive  from  Morlaix.  Here  the 
sergeant  became  the  principal  person,  being  military 
commandant :   forty-seven  prisoners  were  a  heavy  charge 


J 


266  Poor  Jack 

for  twelve  iavalids ;  and  as  for  the  privateer's  men,  there 
was  no  dependence  upon  them,  for,  as  the  captain  said, 
they  had  had  enough  to  do  to  take  them,  and  it  was  the 
business  of  the  authorities  to  look  after  them  now,  while 
the  privateer's  men  made  merry. 


Chapter  XXXVI 

With  those  powerful  agents,  fire  and  water,  we  contrive  to  escape  from  a 
French  prison. 

After  more  than  an  hour  of  confusion  and  loud  talking, 
it  was  at  last  proposed  and  agreed  to,  nem.  con.,  that  the 
prisoners  should  be  confined  in  the  old  church ;  the  twelve 
invalids  to  be  divided  into  two  parties,  who  were  to 
be  sentinels  over  them,  relieving  each  other  every  four 
hours.  The  mayor  immediately  went  forward  with  the 
village  blacksmith  to  examine  the  state  of  the  church  doors, 
and  ascertain  how  they  might  be  secured ;  while  the 
prisoners,  having  been  summoned  out  of  the  privateer, 
were  escorted  up  between  two  files  of  the  privateer's  men 
with  their  swords  drawn,  and  followed  by  the  whole 
population.  As  soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  church  door, 
the  name  of  every  prisoner  was  taken  down  by  the  mayor, 
attended  by  a  notary,  and  then  he  was  passed  into  the 
church.  Bramble  and  I  of  course  were  marched  up  with 
the  others ;  the  captain  of  the  privateer  talking  with  us  the 
whole  way,  through  the  young  man  who  interpreted, 
informing  us  that  an  express  had  been  sent  over  to 
Morlaix,  to  which  town  we  should  be  escorted  the  next 
day,  and  then  have  better  accommodation.  As  we  stood  at 
the  huge  doors  of  the  church,  which  were  opened  for  our 
reception,  we  perceived  that  the  altar  and  all  the  decorations 
had  been  removed ;  and  that,  with  the  exception  of  the 
large  wooden  screen  of  carved  oak,  near  the  altar,  the 
church  was  completely  bare.  Bramble  spoke  to  the 
interpreter,  and   said   that   he   hoped  the  captain  would 


Poor  Jack  267 

request  the  mayor  to  allow  the  prisoners  to  have  straw  to 
lie  down  upon,  as  the  pavement  would  be  very  cold. 
Although  the  mayor  at  first  demurred  at  this  demand,  yet 
the  captain  of  the  privateer,  probably  out  of  good-will  to 
Bramble,  insisted,  and  the  straw  was  ordered  to  be  sent  in. 
At  last,  the  mayor  became  impatient,  we  could  delay  no 
longer,  and  the  doors  were  closed. 

I  had  surveyed  the  church  as  we  were  escorted  up  to  it : 
it  was  very  large,  capable,  I  should  think,  of  holding  more 
than  two  thousand  people.  The  walls  of  the  church  were 
very  massive,  and  the  windows  had  but  very  few  panes  of 
glass  remaining  in  them,  but  they  were  so  very  high  as  to 
prevent  our  climbing  out  of  them,  even  if  there  had  not 
been  six  sentinels  guarding  us  outside.  At  one  corner,  to 
the  right  of  the  end  of  the  church  where  the  altar-piece 
had  been,  was  a  narrow  stone  tower,  apparently  an  addition 
made  to  the  Lady's  chapel,  long  after  the  church  had  been 
originally  built.  When  we  were  shut  up,  we  were  enabled 
to  survey  the  interior  at  our  leisure.  The  whole  was 
completely  bare  to  the  pavement  until  you  came  to  the 
chancel  part,  near  to  which  the  altar  had  been,  where  the 
wooden  screens  and  seats  still  remained,  in  a  sad  dilapidated 
state  J  but  they  must  have  once  been  very  handsome,  for 
the  carving,  where  it  was  perfect,  was  very  beautiful.  A 
small  thick  wooden  door,  loaded  with  iron  work,  communi- 
cated with  the  narrow  tower,  which  had  a  flight  of  stone 
steps  running  up  to  the  top,  and  narrow  loop-holes  to  give 
light  as  you  ascended.  While  the  majority  of  the  prisoners 
were  sitting  down  here  and  there  on  the  pavement,  few  of 
them  entering  into  conversation.  Bramble  had,  with  me, 
taken  a  full  survey  of  our  locality. 

'*  I  tell  you  what,  Tom ;  if  we  once  get  to  Morlaix,  all 
chance  is  over,"  said  he  :  "we  must  either  get  out  of  this 
church  this  very  night,  or  we  must  make  up  our  minds  to 
remain  in  prison,  Heaven  knows  how  long." 

"  Have  we  any  chance  ?  " 

**  ril  tell  you  more  about  that  in  a  little  while." 

The  door  of  the  church  now  opened,  and  the  people 


268  Poor  Jack 

brought  in  the  straw  for  the  beds,  which  they  threw  all  in 
a  heap  in  the  centre  of  the  church,  and  the  doors  were 
again  closed. 

"  I  see  daylight  now,"  said  Bramble.  "  Tom,  find  the 
mate  and  boatswain,  and  bring  them  here  to  me  quickly." 

I  did  so,  and  Bramble  asked  them  whether  they  were 
inclined  to  make  an  attempt  to  get  clear. 

They  replied  that  they  would  join  us  in  anything :  they 
did  not  care  what  it  was,  and  against  any  odds. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Bramble,  "  my  idea  is  this.  You 
see  there  are  but  twelve  old  soldiers  to  guard  us ;  for  you 
may  be  certain  that,  before  long,  all  the  privateer's  men  will 
be  as  drunk  as  owls — that's  but  natural  j  not  that  I  think  of 
coming  to  any  fight  with  them,  but  I  make  the  observation 
because,  if  we  get  out,  we  shall  have  little  to  fear  after- 
wards. Now,  you  see,  I  asked  for  the  straw  because 
the  idea  came  in  my  head  that  it  might  be  useful. 
You  see  what  I  propose  is,  as  there  is  plenty  of 
wood  in  this  part  of  the  church,  that  we  should  wait  till 
about  three  hours  after  dark — that  is,  until  ten  or  eleven 
o'clock — and  then  set  fire  to  the  church.  They  must  come 
and  let  us  out,  you  know  j  at  least  I  take  it  for  granted  that 
they  will  before  the  roof  comes  down:  if  they  don't,  we 
must  force  the  doors  ourselves — I've  looked  at  them — and 
until  we  do,  there  is  no  fear  of  suffocating,  for  there  are  no 
panes  to  the  windows  ;  so,  after  all,  it  will  only  be  a  bonfire, 
without  danger  to  anybody." 

"  Well,  but  what  shall  we  gain  by  it  ?  "  said  the  mate  : 
"  we  shall  be  walked  out  with  the  other  prisoners,  and 
how  shall  we  then  escape  ? " 

"  There  it  is  :  we  will  not  be  walked  out  with  the  other 
prisoners  j  and,  in  the  confusion  and  hurry  of  taking  them 
away  to  one  place  or  another,  they  will  not  be  likely  to 
miss  us.  We  will  all  go  up  this  narrow  tower,  where  we 
may  remain,  till  the  church  falls  in,  with  perfect  safety ; 
and  then,  when  all  is  quiet  again,  and  the  people  have  left 
the  spot,  we  will  make  for  the  pier,  get  one  of  the  fishing 
boats  and  be  off.     How  do  you  like  the  idea  ?  " 


Poor  Jack  269 

We  all  agreed  that  the  plan  was  very  feasible,  and  would 
attempt  it. 

"  Well,  then,  we  must  remain  quiet  for  the  present;  all 
you  have  to  do  is  to  fetch  as  much  straw  this  way  as  you 
can  by  degrees  ;  I  expect  they  will  bring  us  something  to 
eat  before  long." 

We  removed  a  large  portion  of  the  straw  to  the  chancel ; 
in  half  an  hour  afterwards  the  doors  were  opened  and 
rations  of  bread  were  brought  in.  What  still  more  assisted 
our  plans  was,  that  the  captain  of  the  privateer  at  the  same 
time,  very  good-naturedly,  brought  a  demijohn  of  brandy, 
which  he  gave  to  Bramble. 

Bramble  thanked  him  through  the  interpreter,  and  told 
him  that  he  would  get  well  drunk  that  night. 

"  Yes,  drive  away  care,  captain  says,"  replied  the 
interpreter. 

Once  more  the  doors  were  closed,  and  we  had  no 
chance  of  further  interruption. 

By  Bramble's  direction,  the  mate,  assisted  by  me  and 
the  boatswain,  cast  loose  the  remaining  bundles  of  straw, 
and  shook  them  down  as  beds  for  the  prisoners  at  the  end 
of  the  church  nearest  to  the  door ;  and  as  soon  as  they  had 
eaten  their  bread,  Bramble  gave  them  all  a  portion  of  the 
brandy,  advising  them  to  turn  in  soon,  as  we  were  to  march 
very  early  the  next  morning.  We  remained  with  them  at 
first,  having  taken  our  seats  on  the  straw  as  if  we  also  in- 
tended to  repose.  At  last  it  became  dusk,  and  then  dark ; 
the  prisoners  settled  themselves  to  sleep  ;  we  left  them  and 
joined  Bramble.  Having  arranged  our  straw  so  as  to 
secure  ignition,  and  leaving  the  mate  and  boatswain  down 
below,  Bramble  and  I,  now  that  there  was  no  chance  of 
our  being  seen  by  the  sentinels,  ascended  the  tower.  It 
commanded  a  view  of  the  town  and  harbour  :  we  looked 
down  upon  the  main  street — all  was  mirth  and  revelry; 
fiddling  and  dancing  and  singing  were  to  be  heard  from 
more  than  one  house  ;  women  in  the  street  laughing,  and 
now  and  then  running  and  screaming  when  pursued  by  the 
men. 


270  Poor  Jack 

"  This  is  all  right,"  observed  Bramble  j  '*  in  an  hour  or 
two  you'll  see  how  quiet  everything  will  be ;  but  I  shall 
not  let  them  all  go  to  bed  before  I  set  fire,  for  there  may 
be  some  difficulty  in  waking  them.  I  don't  see  that  there's 
any  lights  down  at  the  pier,  where  the  vessels  lie." 

We  stayed  up  there  till  about  eleven  o'clock,  Bramble 
watching  the  lights  and  sounds  ;  and  when  he  considered 
that  they  had  sufficiently  decreased,  he  said,  "  Now  we'll 
try  it,  Tom,  and  may  success  attend  us  !  " 

We  descended  and  found  the  mate  and  boatswain 
anxiously  waiting  for  us.  Bramble  struck  a  light  with  his 
flint,  and  we  carried  it  to  the  screen  where  we  had  piled 
the  straw  under  the  seats  and  against  the  panels. 

**  Now  then,  messmates,"  said  Bramble,  *'  as  long  as  the 
others  sleep  the  better  i  but  if  they  waken,  in  the  con- 
fusion bring  here  all  the  straw  you  can  collect,  for  we 
must  not  fail  for  want  of  fuel." 

But  of  this  there  was  no  chance,  for  the  wood  of 
the  screen  and  benches  was  so  dry  that  it  was  a-light 
immediately.  For  ten  minutes  the  other  prisoners  and 
the  guard  outside  did  not  appear  to  be  aware  of  what 
was  going  on ;  but  at  last  the  church  was  so  filled  with 
smoke  that  they  were  roused  up  :  still  the  principal  smoke 
was  in  that  portion  of  the  church  where  we  were  ;  at  the 
other  end  they  were  not  much  inconvenienced,  as  it 
found  vent  by  the  windows.  What  the  invalids  were 
about  outside  I  do  not  know,  but  they  did  not  perceive  it ; 
probably  they  had  left  their  guard  to  go  and  carouse.  At 
all  events  the  flames  had  climbed  up  from  the  screen  and 
had  caught  a  portion  of  the  roof  before  the  Frenchmen 
knew  that  the  church  was  on  fire  ;  the  smoke  was  now 
exchanged  for  a  bright  clear  flame,  which  had  already 
found  its  way  through  the  slating,  and  the  prisoners  were 
hallowing  and  screaming  as  loud  as  they  could.  We  went 
to  the  part  of  the  church  where  the  others  were,  and  joined 
the  outcry.  The  voices  of  the  people  outside  were  now  to 
be  heard,  for  men  and  women  had  been  summoned  by  the 
cry  of  the  church  being  on  fire  :  still  there  was  no  danger 


Poor  Jack  271 

until  the  roof  fell  in,  and  that  would  not  be  the  case  for 
perhaps  an  hour,  although  it  was  now  burning  furiously, 
and  the  sparks  and  cinders  were  borne  away  to  leeward  by 
the  breeze.  The  screams  of  the  prisoners  now  became 
dreadful  j  frightened  out  of  their  wits,  they  fully  expected 
to  be  burnt  alive  ;  still  the  door  was  not  opened,  although 
we  heard  a  loud  consultation  of  many  voices  without. 

"  Well,"  said  Bramble,  "  I  hope  they  really  don't  mean 
to  let  us  burn  here  -,  at  all  events,  if  they  do,  I  can  save 
the  poor  devils,  for  there's  room  enough  on  the  stairs  of  the 
tower  for  twice  as  many.  At  all  events  we  must  hold  on 
till  the  last  moment." 

As  he  said  this  we  heard  them  outside  put  the  key  in 
the  door,  and  immediately  Bramble,  the  boatswain,  mate, 
and  I,  retreated  from  the  crowd  and  gained  the  other 
portion  of  the  church,  which  was  most  in  flames.  As  the 
door  opened  we  hastened  to  the  tower  door,  and  closing  it 
after  us,  gained  the  staircase  near  the  top,  where  we 
remained  quiet ;  there  was  no  want  of  smoke  there,  but 
still  we  could  breathe  pretty  freely,  as  the  fire  from  the 
roof  was  borne  down  by  the  wind  from  us  and  towards  the 
people,  who  were  at  the  front  of  the  church.  How  they 
disposed  of  the  other  prisoners  we  do  not  know,  as  we 
dared  not  show  ourselves  5  but  in  about  half  an  hour  the 
whole  of  the  roof  fell  down  upon  the  pavement,  and 
nothing  but  the  bare  walls  of  the  church  were  left  stand- 
ing. 

After  the  roof  fell  in  the  light  from  the  flames  was  so 
small,  that  we  ventured  to  the  top  of  the  tower  to  look 
out.  There  were  still  many  people  standing  about,  but 
the  major  part  of  them  were  gone.  As  the  fire  sunk 
down,  so  did  the  people  go  away  5  at  last  there  was  no 
one  to  be  seen :  we  remained  more  than  half  an  hour 
watching ;  light  after  light  disappeared,  and  all  was  quiet 
as  death. 

**  Now's  our  time,"  said  Bramble,  "  but  still  we  must  be 
cautious  J  let  us  follow  one  another  at  about  ten  yards 
apart :  if  we  meet  with  anyone,  pretend  to  be  reeling  as  if 


272  Poor  Jack 

drunk,  and  they  may  think  we  are  privateer's-men  not  yet 
gone  to  bed." 

We  followed  him  down  the  stairs,  gained  the  church, 
and  trod  over  the  still  burning  embers  ;  as  soon  as  we 
were  clear  of  the  walls,  we  turned  to  the  right  in  our  way 
down  to  the  harbour,  keeping  in  the  gloom  as  much  as 
possible.  We  arrived  safely  at  the  pier,  for  there  was  not 
a  soul  stirring  ;  all  our  fear  was,  that  we  should  find  some 
one  keeping  watch  on  board  of  the  vessels,  which  we  must 
pass  after  we  had  possession  of  one  of  the  fishing  boats,  as 
they  laid  inside  of  them.  But  fortune  favoured  us  every 
way  ;  the  boat  we  selected  had  her  sails  bent,  and  was  not 
fastened  with  a  chain  :  we  were,  therefore,  in  the  stream 
in  a  moment  ;  the  tide  was  also  running  out  strong,  and  we 
passed  the  vessels  without  having  occasion  to  use  our  oars. 
The  battery  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbour  was  also 
without  its  usual  sentry,  for  the  men  had  been  called  up  to 
guard  the  prisoners.  In  half  an  hour  we  were  clear  of  the 
harbour,  and  steering  with  a  fine  breeze  for  the  English 
coast ;  and  when  daylight  broke,  the  French  land  was  but 
just  perceptible. 

*'  Well,"  said  Bramble,  '*  praised  be  Heaven  for  all 
things  ;  I  expected  to  have  lost  my  precious  liberty  for 
years,  and  I  have  only  lost  two  shirts,  one  pair  of  trousers, 
and  three  pairs  of  worsted  stockings." 

We  had  nothing  to  eat  or  drink,  but  that  we  cared 
little  for,  as  the  wind  was  fair  :  about  ten  o'clock  that 
night  we  landed  at  Cawsand  Bay  near  Plymouth,  where 
we  sat  down  to  a  hearty  supper  j  and  when  we  went  to 
bed,  I  did  not  forget  to  thank  Providence  for  my  unex- 
pected escape. 

Chapter   XXXVII 

Another  escape,  more  fortunate  than  the  one  recorded  in  the  preceding 

chapter. 

From  the  time  that  I  had  passed  my  examination  and 
worked  as  a  pilot  on  my  own  account,  until  the  period  of 


Poor  Jack  273 

our  escape,  which  I  have  narrated  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
I  had  continued  to  live  in  the  cottage  with  Bramble,  with- 
out contributing  any  share  to  the  expenses.  I  had  at  first 
proposed  it,  but  Bramble  would  not  listen  to  any  such 
arrangement ;  he  considered  me,  he  said,  as  his  son,  and 
who  knowed,  he  added,  but  that  the  cottage  would  be 
mine  after  he  was  gone.  The  fact  was,  that  Bramble 
ardently  wished  that  Bessy  and  I  should  be  united.  He 
continually  hinted  at  it,  joked  with  Bessy  about  me  5  and 
I  believe  that,  in  consequence,  Bessy's  feelings  towards  me 
had  taken  the  same  bent.  She  was  prepared  for  the  issue  j 
the  regard  naturally  felt  for  me  from  her  long  intimacy, 
now  that  the  indulgence  of  it  was  so  openly  sanctioned  by 
him  whom  she  considered  as  her  father,  was  not  checked 
on  her  part  j  indeed  there  was  no  doubt  but  that  it  had 
ripened  into  love.  She  showed  it  in  every  little  way  that 
her  maiden  modesty  did  not  interfere  with,  and  old  Bramble 
would  at  times  throw  out  such  strong  hints  of  our  eventual 
union,  as  to  make  me  feel  very  uncomfortable.  They 
neither  of  them  had  any  idea  of  my  heart  having  been 
pre-engaged,  and  the  strangeness  of  my  manner  was 
ascribed  by  Bramble  to  my  feelings  towards  Bessy.  Bessy, 
however,  was  not  so  easily  deceived  ;  my  conduct  towards 
her  appeared,  to  say  the  best  of  it,  very  inconsistent.  So 
often  had  I  had  opportunities,  especially  when  I  was  at  home 
and  Bramble  was  away,  of  speaking  on  the  subject ;  and 
so  often  had  these  opportunities  been  neglected,  that  it 
filled  her  mind  with  doubt  and  anxiety.  After  having 
accepted  my  addresses  at  first,  Janet  had  once  or  twice 
written  to  me ;  latterly,  however,  she  had  not  written 
herself — all  her  messages  were  through  Virginia's  letters, 
or,  perhaps,  she  would  add  a  little  postscript.  Had  letters 
arrived  for  me  in  any  other  hand-writing  than  that  of 
Virginia,  Bessy,  after  her  suspicions  were  roused,  might 
have  easily  guessed  the  truth  j  but  it  was  the  absence  of 
any  clue  to  guide  her  as  to  the  state  of  my  feelings  which 
so  much  puzzled  her.  She  was  fully  convinced  that  my 
heart  was  not  hers,  but  she  had  no  reason  to  suppose  that 

P.J.  s 


274  Poor  Jack 

it  was  In  the  possession  of  another.  Thus  did  my  passion 
for  Janet  Wilson  in  every  way  prove  to  me  a  source  of 
anxiety.  I  knew  that  it  was  my  duty  to  undeceive  Bramble 
and  Bessy,  yet  the  task  was  too  painful,  and  I  could  not 
make  up  my  mind  to  make  them  unhappy.  I  felt  that  I 
had  no  right  to  remain  under  Bramble's  roof  and  live  at 
his  expense,  and,  at  the  same  time,  I  could  not  find  an 
opportunity  of  telling  him  what  my  feelings  and  wishes 
were,  the  very  mention  of  which  would  at  once  explain  to 
him,  that  the  desire  of  his  old  age  would  never  be  accom- 
plished. I  often  accused  myself  of  ingratitude,  and  felt  as 
if  it  were  my  duty  to  make  every  sacrifice  to  one  who 
had  been  so  kind  a  protector  j  but  I  was  bound  by  vows  to 
Janet  Wilson,  and  how  was  it  possible  that  I  could  retract  ? 
Virginia's  letters  were  not  satisfactory :  at  first  she 
told  me  how  much  she  had  been  annoyed  by  the  attentions 
of  the  young  nobleman,  and  how  very  indelicate  my  mother 
had  been  in  her  conduct  5  eventually  she  informed  me  that 
she  had  been  insulted  by  him,  and  that,  upon  complaining 
to  my  mother,  the  latter  had,  much  to  her  surprise  and 
indignation,  not  only  laughed  at  his  extreme  forwardness, 
but  pointed  out  to  Virginia  a  line  of  conduct  by  which  he 
might  be  entrapped  into  marriage ;  that  her  refusal  to 
accede  to  such  unworthy  devices  had  created  a  serious 
breach  between  her  mother  and  herself.  She  stated  the 
young  man  to  be  extremely  silly  and  weak,  and  that  my 
mother  had  gained  great  influence  over  him ;  and  were  it 
not  that  the  presence  of  the  tutor,  who  seldom  quitted  the 
house,  had  proved  a  check,  that  there  was  little  doubt  but, 
as  far  as  the  young  man  was  concerned,  the  disproportion- 
ate match  would  be  readily  acceded  to  j  that  the  only  person 
she  had  ventured  to  consult  was  her  dear  friend  Mrs  St 
Felix,  who  had  promised  her,  if  the  persecution  did  not 
cease,  that  she  would  make  Mr  Sommerville  the  tutor  aware 
of  what  was  going  on.  Virginia  described  the  latter  as 
an  amiable  modest  young  man,  who  did  all  in  his  power  to 
instruct  his  pupil,  but  who  was  treated  with  anything  but 
deference  in  return. 


Poor  Jack  275 

Relative  to  Janet  she  said  little,  except  that  she  generally 
called  there  every  day  to  make  inquiries  after  me  :  once  or 
twice  she  did  say  that  it  was  a  pity  that  I  was  not  able  to 
come  oftener  to  Greenwich,  as  Janet  was  not  very  steady ; 
indeed,  considering  how  young  she  was,  without  a  mother, 
and  so  little  controlled  by  her  father,  it  was  not  to  be 
wondered  at. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  I  would  speak  to  Bramble  about  my  paying  my  share 
of  the  expenses,  which  I  thought  would  open  his  eyes  to 
the  real  state  of  my  feeling  towards  Bessy :  I  did  so ;  I 
pointed  out  to  him  that  I  was  now  earning  money  fast,  and 
that  I  considered  it  but  fair  that  I  should  support  myself, 
and  not  put  him  to  further  expense  j  that,  perhaps,  it 
would  be  better  that  I  should  take  a  house  for  myself, 
as  I  must  give  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  Bessy  and  Mrs 
Maddox. 

"  Weil,  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  "  you've  been  at  me  about 
this  before,  and  I  believe  it's  a  proper  feeling,  after 
all.  It  certainly  does  seem  to  me  to  be  a  matter  of  little 
consequence,  as  things  stand  j  however,  I  can't  consent 
to  your  leaving  us.  You  have  been  with  me  ever  since 
you  were  a  lad,  and  I  should  feel  like  a  fish  out  of  water 
if  I  were  to  be  without  you  or  Bessy  5  so  pay  just  what 
you  please — I'll  take  it  since  you  wish  it ; — and  there's  an 
end  of  the  matter." 

This  was  not  the  end  to  which  I  was  driving  5  but 
Bramble's  eyes  would  not  be  opened,  and  I  could  not  help 
it.  He  had  never  directly  spoken  to  me  about  an  union 
with  Bessy,  and  therefore  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  say 
any  more.  Bramble,  however,  did  not  fail  to  communicate 
what  I  had  said  to  her  j  and  one  evening  when  we  were 
standing  on  the  shingle  beach,  she  said  to  me :  "So 
Emerson  has  been  convicted  for  smuggling,  and  sentenced 
beyond  the  seas." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  it,"  replied  I. 

**  His  house  is  to  be  let  now,  Tom ;  would  it  not  suit 
you  ?  for  my  father  told  me  that  you  wished  to  leave  us." 


276  Poor  Jack 

"Why  should  I  live  upon  you,  when  I  am  able  to 
support  myself  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  If  it  were  not  that  I  could  not  bear 
to  see  father  miserable,  I  think  it  would  be  better  if  you 
did  take  Emerson's  house;  but  it  would  vex  him,  poor 
good  man." 

"  But  not  you,  Bessy ;  is  it  that  you  mean  ? " 

"Perhaps  it  is.  Tell  me  yourself,  Tom;  would  it  not 
be  better  ? " 

I  made  no  reply. 

"  Well,"  replied  Bessy,  "  think  of  me  as  you  please ; 
I  will  speak  now,  Tom.  I  am  not  considering  you,  Tom, 
nor  am  I  thinking  of  myself;  I  am  only  induced  so  to  do 
on  account  of  my  father.  We  have  been  brought  up 
together  as  children,  Tom,  and,  as  children,  we  were 
great  friends,  and,  I  believe,  sincerely  attached  to  each 
other.  I  believe  it  to  be  very  true  that  those  who  are 
brought  up  together  as  brothers  and  sisters  do  not  change 
that  affection  for  any  other  more  serious  in  after  life.  It 
is  therefore  not  our  faults  if  we  cannot  feel  as,  you  must 
know,  Tom,  my  father  wishes  we  should.  Am  I  not 
right  ?  " 

"  You  are,  I  believe,  Bessy,"  replied  I. 

"  My  father,  therefore,  is  deceiving  himself  with  the 
hopes  of  what  never  can  take  place ;  but  I  know  him 
even  better  than  you  do,  Tom ;  it  is  the  object  of  his 
daily  thoughts — his  only  wish  before  he  sinks  into  his 
grave.  I  cannot  bear  to  undeceive  him ;  no  more  can 
you,  if  I  have  truly  judged  your  feelings." 

"  You  have  judged  right,  Bessy." 

"  The  very  circumstance  of  our  knowing  his  wishes, 
the  hints  which  he  throws  out,  his  joking  on  the  subject, 
have  been  a  source  of  annoyance  to  both  of  us ;  and  not 
only  a  source  of  annoyance,  Tom ;  it  has  estranged  us — 
we  no  longer  feel  that  affection  which  we  should  feel  for 
each  other,  that  kindness  as  between  brother  and  sister, 
which  might  exist ; — on  the  contrary,  not  being  exactly 
aware  of  each  other's  feelings,  we  avoid  each  other,  and 


*  Poor  Jack  277 

fearful  that  the  least  kindness  might  be  misconstrued,  we  do 
not  really  treat  each  other  as  we  otherwise  would  j  in  fact, 
it  has  destroyed  our  mutual  confidence.     Is  it  not  so  ? " 

"  It  is,  I  acknowledge,  but  too  true,  Bessy,  and  I  thank 
you  for  having  entered  into  this  explanation " 

"Which,  as  I  said  before,"  continued  Bessy,  "I  should 
not  have  done  except  for  the  sake  of  my  father  ;  but  now 
that  I  have  done  so "  (and  here  Bessy's  voice  became 
tremulous),  "  let  us  consult  at  once  how  we  shall  act  so  as 
to  secure  his  happiness,  and  that  in  future  we  may  return 
to  the  former  confidence  and  regard  which  should  exist 
between  us  as  brother  and  sister." 

**  Point  out  how  this  is  to  be  done,  Bessy,  and  I  will 
cheerfully  enter  into  your  wishes." 

"We  must  laugh  when  he  laughs,  Tom,  even  if  not 
inclined  j  we  must  gain  time — that  is  very  easy — I  may 
refuse  as  long  as  he  lives — you  may  put  it  ofFj  and  then, 
Tom,  circumstances  may  help  us — who  knows  what  even 
a  day  may  bring  forth  ?  " 

"  Very  true,"  replied  I,  **  there's  only  one  thing " 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Suppose  I  was  to  marry  ?" 

"Then,"  replied  Bessy,  in  a  voice  half-choked,  as  she 
turned  away,  "  my  father  would  be  very  unhappy." 

I  looked  round  to  reply,  but  she  had  gone  into  the 
cottage.  This  conversation  gave  me  great  satisfaction. 
I  felt  convinced  that  if  I  had  at  one  time  formed  the  idea 
that  Bessy  was  attached  to  me,  I  had  been  mistaken,  and 
I  was  as  indifferent  to  her  as  she  was  to  me.  I  was  just 
as  anxious  as  she  was  not  to  vex  Bramble,  and  equally 
glad  that  confidence  was  restored  between  us.  Alas !  I 
must  have  been  very  blind  not  to  have  perceived  what 
was  the  true  state  of  her  feelings  j  but  I  did  not,  and 
after  some  reflection  I  determined  that  I  would  make  her 
a  confidant  of  my  passion  for  Janet  Wilson  j  and  then  I 
walked  to  the  post-office  to  see  if  there  were  any  letters 
from  Virginia.  There  was  a  letter  for  me — a  double  one : 
as  soon  as  I  had  paid  the  money,  I  opened  it  5  it  was  very 


278  Poor  Jack 

closely  written,  and  evidently  Virginia  had  much  to  com- 
municate to  me.  I  forgot  for  the  moment  Bessy  and 
Bramble,  thought  only  of  Janet,  and  put  the  letter  to  my 
lips  as  I  walked  away  that  I  might  go  home  and  read  it. 
I  hurried  past  Bessy,  who  was  in  the  parlour,  and  went 
up  the  stairs  into  my  bedroom,  where  I  took  my  letter 
out  of  my  pocket  and  commenced  it. 

"  My  Dear  Tom,  15th  April. 

"  I  shall  begin  a  letter  to  you  now,  and  fill  it  up  as  a 
sort  of  a  diary  ;  as  it  is  the  best  plan,  I  think,  to  narrate 
circumstances  as  they  actually  take  place.  It  is  unpleasant 
to  say  anything  against  my  mother,  the  more  so  as  I 
believe  that  she  thinks  she  has  been  doing  right,  and  has 
my  interest  sincerely  at  heart :  she  appears  to  consider 
that  an  alliance  with  people  of  rank  cannot  be  purchased 
too  dear,  and  that  every  attempt  is  justifiable  to  secure  for 
me  such  an  advantage.  Little  does  she  know  me  -,  if  she 
forgets,  I  never  shall,  that  I  am  the  daughter  of  a  Green- 
wich pensioner,  and  never  would  ally  myself  with  those 
whose  relations  would  look  upon  me  as  a  disgrace  to  their 
family — no,  Tom ;  even  if  I  were  so  heedless  as  to  allow 
my  affections  to  be  enthralled,  I  would  at  any  sacrifice 
refuse  to  enter  into  a  family  much  beyond  my  condition. 
I  have  thought  of  this  often,  and  I  confess  that  I  am 
sometimes  unhappy.  I  have  been  brought  up  and 
educated  above  my  situation  in  life,  and  I  do  not  think 
I  ever  could  marry  a  person  who  was  not  more  refined 
and  educated  than  those  who  are  really  and  truly  my 
equals.  But  as,  at  the  same  time,  I  never  will  enter  into 
a  family  who  might  look  down  upon  my  parentage,  I 
presume  your  little  Virginia  must  remain  unmarried.  If 
so,  I  am  content — I  have  no  wish  to  alter  my  present 
condition.  I  am  happy  and  respected ;  and  with  the 
exception  of  the  trifling  annoyances  which  we  all  must 
expect  and  must  submit  to,  I  have  no  reason  to  be 
dissatisfied ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  to  be  grateful  for 
many  blessings,   and   I   trust  that  I   am   so.     My   poor 


Poor  Jack  279 

mother  is  the  cause  of  all  my  present  vexations.  She 
tells  me  that  my  beauty,  as  she  is  partially  pleased  to 
call  it,  is  sufficient  for  my  aspiring  to  the  hand  of  a  duke, 
and  that  it  will  be  my  own  fault  if  I  do  not  make  a  high 
connection.  Every  night  she  has  been  overwhelming  me 
with  alternate  reproaches  and  entreaties  to  permit  the 
attentions  of  the  gay  gentleman  who  is  now  lodging  at 
our  house,  stating  that  it  was  on  my  account  only  that  he 
took  the  apartments,  and  that,  if  I  play  my  cards  well,  he 
will  be  caught  in  his  own  trap,  which,  I  presume,  is  as 
much  as  to  say,  that  he  came  here  with  different  intentions, 
and  finding  that  he  cannot  succeed,  will  secure  his  intended 
prize  or  victim  by  marriage  rather  than  not  obtain  her  at 
all.  Very  flattering,  truly !  and  this  is  the  man  to  whom 
my  mother  would  induce  me  to  confide  my  future 
happiness — a  man  who,  independent  of  his  want  of  probity, 
is  a  fool  into  the  bargain.  But  the  persecution  on  his 
part  and  on  that  of  my  mother  now  becomes  so  annoying, 
that  I  have  requested  Mrs  St  Felix  to  speak  to  Mr 
Sommerville  the  tutor,  who,  if  he  does  his  duty — and 
I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  will  do  so — will 
take  some  measures  to  remove  his  pupil  from  our  house. 

**  17th.  Mrs  St  Felix  and  Mr  Sommerville  have  had  a 
meeting.  He  generally  walks  out  every  afternoon  in  the 
park ;  and  Mrs  St  Felix  and  he  have  already  been  intro- 
duced ;  she  therefore  went  out  and  met  him,  and  after 
exchanging  a  few  words,  she  introduced  the  subject, 
stating  that  she  did  so  at  my  request.  Mr  Sommerville, 
although  he  had  not  been  blind,  had  had  no  idea  that 
things  had  proceeded  so  far;  and  he  promised  Mrs  St 
Felix  that  he  would  soon  put  an  end  to  the  persecution, 
or  remove  him  from  our  house.  Janet  has  been  here 
to-day,  and  I  told  her  what  had  passed ;  she  very  much 
approved  of  the  steps  which  I  had  taken.  I  must,  how- 
ever, say,  that  latterly  she  has  not  appeared  to  take  that 
interest  about  you  that  she  used  to  do,  and  I  fear  that 
your  continual  absence  is  injurious  to  your  prospects. 
She  is  very  young  and  very  giddy,  Tom :  I  wish  she  had 


28o  Poor  Jack 

been  older,  as,  even  when  she  is  your  wife,  she  will 
require  much  looking  after,  and  a  firm  hand  to  settle  her 
down  into  what  a  married  woman  in  my  opinion  ought  to  be. 
Mr  Sommerville  has  requested  me  to  favour  him  with 
a  few  minutes'  conversation ;  and  as  I  cannot  do  it  in  our 
house,  for  my  mother  never  leaves  me  a  minute  to  myself, 
I  told  him  that  I  should  be  at  Mrs  St  Felix's  this  afternoon, 
and  he  could  speak  to  me  then.  He  knows  that  I  have 
no  secrets  from  Mrs  St  Felix  5  and  although  it  is  not 
pleasant  to  resort  to  such  means,  still  there  can  be  no  impro- 
priety in  my  hearing  what  he  has  to  tell  me  in  her  presence. 

"I  have  seen  Mr  Sommerville — he  thanked  me  very 
much  for  having  communicated,  through  Mrs  St  Felix,  my 
mother's  plot  against  his  protege^  and  paid  me  many  com- 
pliments upon  my  behaviour,  which  were  quite  unnecessary. 
He  told  me  that  he  had  spoken  to  his  pupil,  who  had  most 
positively  denied  his  having  any  such  intention,  and  stated 
that  he  was  merely  amusing  himself  j  and  he  had  pledged 
himself  not  to  take  the  least  notice  of  me  for  the  future. 
•  I  am  well  aware,'  said  he,  '  that  what  he  has  stated  is  not 
correct  j  he  has  not  deceived  me  by  his  assertions ;  and 
were  it  not  that  I  feel  confidence  in  you.  Miss  Virginia,' 
continued  he,  '  I  would  write  to  his  father  that  he  might 
be  immediately  removed.  I  hardly  need  say,  that  should 
anything  of  this  kind  take  place,  I  should  be  most  severely 
blamed :  it  is  not  the  first  time  that  I  have  been  compelled 
to  interfere,  for  my  pupil  is  of  a  very  susceptible  disposi- 
tion, and  has  fancied  himself  in  love  with  at  least  five 
young  people  since  he  has  been  under  my  charge.  In  this 
instance,'  continued  he,  making  me  a  bow,  '  he  has  some 
extenuation  to  offer.  "Will  you  oblige  me  by  informing 
me  if  he  adheres  to  his  promise  ?  or  do  you  wish  that  I 
should  speak  to  your  mother  ? ' 

*'  Mrs  St  Felix  replied,  that  it  would  be  unnecessary ; 

indeed,  that  if  Lord left  the  house  I  should  only  be 

subject  to  fresh  persecution.  Mr  Sommerville,  at  her 
request,  stayed  to  drink  tea,  and  is  certainly  a  very 
pleasant,  well-informed,  amiable  young  man. 


Poor  Jack  •  281 

"  23rd.  I  have  received  no  molestation  since  the  explana- 
tion with  Mr  Sommerville,  except  from  my  mother,  who 

accuses  me  of  having  affronted  Lord ;  and  although 

I  deny  it,  she  asserts  that  he  never  could  have  so  changed 
his  conduct  towards  both  of  us  if  I  had  not  so  done.  I 
have  not  seen  Janet  this  week — I  cannot  imagine  what  has 
become  of  her. 

"  30th.  You  may  imagine  my  joy,  my  dear  Tom :  Mr 
Sommerville  has  received  a  letter,  stating  that  his  Lordship 
is  to  go  down  to  his  father's  seat  in  the  country,  as  he  will 
be  of  age  in  a  month,  and  he  is  to  make  acquaintance  with 
the  tenants ; — there  are  to  be  great  rejoicings  there  upon 
his  coming  of  age.  I  am  sure  no  one  can  rejoice  more 
than  I  shall  when  he  leaves,  which  is  to  be  next  Saturday. 
I  am  also  very  glad  to  say  that  the  Marquess  has  presented 
Mr  Sommerville  with  a  valuable  living,  now  that  he  gives 
up  his  tutorship.  I  really  think  he  will  do  justice  to  his 
profession,  for  I  have  seen  more  of  him  lately,  and  esteem 
him  very  much. 

"  27th.  They  are  gone,  much  to  my  mother's  morti- 
fication, and  to  my  delight ;  and  now,  as  I  have  written  so 
much  about  myself,  I  shall  leave  this  letter  open  till  I  see 
Janet,  that  I  may  tell  you  something  about  her,  otherwise 
I  know  my  letter  will  not  be  interesting  to  you. 

"31st.  My  dear  Tom,  you  must  prepare  yourself  for 
painful  intelligence ; — 

**  Janet  has  disappeared — she  left  her  father's  house  last 
night  after  the  family  had  retired,  but  no  one  knows 
where :  she  left  a  few  lines  on  her  table,  stating  that  they 
would  hear  from  her  soon.  Poor  Mr  Wilson  was  here 
to-day — he  is  half  distracted — and  the  whole  town  is  full 
of  the  scandal.  Mrs  St  Felix  told  me  this  morning  that 
she  has  discovered  that  within  the  last  week  she  has  been 

seen  walking  on  the  London  Road  with  Lord .     Is  it 

possible  ? 

**  2nd  May.  It  is  all  true — Mrs  St  Felix  has  a  letter 
from  Mr  Sommerville,  stating  that  Janet  was  brought  up 
to  town  and  married  to  Lord  two  days  ago.     It 


282  *  Poor  Jack 

appears,  that  from  the  time  that  I  repulsed  his  attentions, 
he  fixed  them  upon  Janet ;  that  she  encouraged  him,  and 
used  to  meet  him  every  night,  as  Mrs  St  Felix  was  informed. 
Mr  Sommerville  has  seen  his  father,  and  fully  exculpated 
himself;  but  the  Marquess  declares,  as  his  son  is  a  minor, 
that  the  marriage  shall  not  be  binding.  How  it  will  end, 
Heaven  only  knows  ;  but  she  is  much  to  be  pitied.  This 
will  account  for  her  not  coming  to  me  as  usual.  Now, 
Tom,  I  do  not  suppose  you  will  pay  attention  to  me  at 
present,  but  from  what  I  knew  of  Janet,  and  which  her 
conduct  has  fully  proved,  she  was  not  worthy  to  be  your 
wife,  and  could  not  have  contributed  to  your  happiness. 
I  pity  you  from  my  heart,  as  I  know  what  you  will  feel ; 
but  still  I  congratulate  you,  and  eventually  you  will 
congratulate  yourself  at  your  fortunate  escape. 

"I  will  say  no  more  at  present,  except  that  I  am,  and 
ever  will  be, 

**  Your  truly  attached  Sister, 

"Virginia." 

I  had  courage  to  finish  the  letter,  and  then  it  dropped 
from  my  hands — I  was  bewildered,  stupefied,  maddened. 
As  my  sister  said,  I  did  indeed  feel.  Was  it  possible  ? — 
Janet,  who  had — Mercy  on  me !  I  threw  myself  on  the 
bed,  and  there  I  remained  till  the  next  morning  in  a  state 
most  pitiable. 

It  is  only  those  who  have  been  deceived  in  their  first 
attachment  who  can  appreciate  my  agony  of  feeling.  For 
the  first  few  hours  I  hated  the  whole  world,  and  had  then 
the  means  been  at  hand,  should  in  all  probability  have 
hastened  into  another ;  but  gradually  my  excitement  abated : 
— I  found  relief  in  tears  of  sorrow  and  indignation.  I  arose 
at  daylight  the  next  morning,  worn  out  with  contending 
feelings,  heavy  and  prostrated  in  mind.  I  went  out — stood 
on  the  beach,  the  keen  breeze  cooled  my  fevered  cheek. 
For  hours  I  leant  motionless  upon  an  anchor — all  hope  of 
future  happiness  abandoned  for  ever. 


Poor  Jack  w  283 


Chapter    XXXVIII 

Which  is  ail  about  love. — Bramble  confides  to  me  ati  his  acquaintance  witli 
the  tender  passion. 

To  conceal  from  Bramble  or  Bessy  the  state  of  mind  to 
which  I  was  reduced  was  impossible ;  I  was  in  a  condition 
of  prostration  against  which  I  could  not  rally  ;  and  I  believe 
that  there  never  was  a  person  who  had  been  disappointed 
in  his  first  love,  who  did  not  feel  as  I  did — that  is,  if  he 
really  loved  with  a  sincere,  pure,  and  holy  feeling ;  for  I 
do  not  refer  to  the  fancied  attachments  of  youth,  which 
may  be  said  to  be  like  the  mere  flaws  of  wind  which  pre- 
cede the  steady  gale.  I  could  not,  for  several  days,  trust 
myself  to  speak —  I  sat  silent  and  brooding  over  the  words, 
the  looks,  the  smiles,  the  scenes  which  had  promised  me  a 
store  of  future  happiness ;  such  as  would  probably  have 
been  the  case,  as  far  as  we  can  be  happy  in  this  world,  had 
I  fixed  my  affections  upon  a  true  and  honest,  instead  of  a 
fickle  and  vain,  woman — had  I  built  my  house  upon  a  rock, 
instead  of  one  upon  the  sand — which,  as  pointed  out  by  the 
Scriptures,  had  been  washed  away,  and  had  disappeared  for 
ever !  Bramble  and  Bessy  in  vain  attempted  to  gain  from 
me  the  cause  of  my  dejection ;  I  believe  that  they  had  many 
conversations  upon  it  when  I  was  absent,  but  whatever  may 
have  been  their  surmises,  they  treated  me  with  every  kind- 
ness and  consideration.  About  a  week  after  I  had  received 
the  letter.  Bramble  said  to  me,  "  Come,  Tom,  we  have  had 
an  easterly  wind  for  ten  days  now ;  they  are  going  off  in  a 
galley  to-morrow — suppose  we  go  too — it's  no  use  staying 
here  moping,  and  doing  nothing.  You've  been  out  of  sorts 
lately,  and  it  will  do  you  good."  I  thought  so  too,  and 
consented ;  but  the  other  pilots  were  not  ready,  and  our 
departure  was  deferred  till  the  day  after.  Bramble  had 
acquainted  me  in  the  morning  with  this  delay ;  I  was 
annoyed  at  it,  for  I  was  restless,  and  wished  for  change. 
My  bundle  had  been  prepared  5  I  had  passed  the  best  part 


/ 


\ 


284  ^  Poor  Jack 

of  the  night  in  writing  to  Virginia,  and  was,  as  people  very 
often  are  when  under  such  oppressed  feelings,  in  anything 
but  a  good  humour  at  being  obliged  to  remain  another  day 
at  Deal.  I  had  walked  out  to  the  beach  after  we  had 
breakfasted,  and  had  remained  there  some  time.  Bramble 
had  gone  out  in  the  direction  of  the  post-office,  and  I  asked 
him  to  inquire  if  there  was  a  letter  for  me,  for  I  thought  it 
very  likely  that  Virginia  might  have  written  to  me  again. 
I  had  remained  for  an  hour  on  the  beach,  when  I  recollected 
that  my  knife  required  to  be  sharpened,  and  I  walked  round 
the  cottage  to  the  back-yard,  where  there  was  a  small 
grindstone.  I  had  not  put  my  knife  to  it,  when  I  heard 
Bramble  come  in  and  say  to  Bessy — 

"  Well,  girl,  I've  found  it  all  out,  for  you  see  I  thought 
old  Anderson  might  know  something  about  itj  or,  if  he 
did  not,  he  could  inquire  ;  and  I've  got  the  whole  story. 
Here's  Anderson's  letter.  I  thought  there  must  be  some- 
thing of  that  sort." 

Kere  there  was  a  pause,  as  if  Bessy  was  reading  the 
letter. 

"  Only  to  think — she's  run  away  with  a  young  lord," 
said  Bramble. 

"So  it  seems,"  replied  Bessy;  "I'm  sorry  for  poor 
Tom,  for  he  feels  it  severely." 

"  I'm  not  sorry,"  rejoined  Bramble  ;  "  she  wasn't 
deserving  of  him ;  and,  Bessy,  I'm  glad  for  your  sake." 

"Don't  say  that,  father;  Tom  will  never  think  of  me, 
nor  do  I  care  about  him." 

"  I  don't  exactly  believe  that,  Bessy,  for  all  you  say  so. 
It's  my  wish,  and  you  know  it,  Bessy,  to  see  you  and  Tom 
spliced  before  I  die ;  and  I  thank  Heaven  that  this  false 
girl  is  out  of  the  way  ; — I've  more  hopes  now." 

"  Marriages  are  made  in  heaven,  father,"  replied  Bessy ; 
"  so,  pray  don't  say  anything  more  about  it.  It  will  be 
time  enough  for  me  to  think  of  Tom  when  Tom  appears 
to  think  of  me.     I  shall  always  love  him  as  a  brother." 

"  Well,  God's  will  be  done !  We  must  now  try  and 
console  him,  poor  fellow ;  and  I'm  very  glad  that  we're 


Poor  Jack  285 

off  to-morrow.     Salt  water  cures  love,  they  say,  sooner 

than  anything  else."  m 

*' It  may,  perhaps,"  replied  Bessy  ;  "  but  I  feel  that  if  I  ^m^ 

were  once  really  in  love,  the  whole  ocean  itself  could  not  9 

wash  my  love  out.     However,  women  are  not  men." 

"  That's  true.  You  hug  your  love  as  you  do  your 
babies,  all  day  long,  and  never  tire.  Now,  you  see,  a 
man  gets  tired  of  nursing  in  no  time  j — I  never  was  in  love 
but  once." 

"  Oh !  father,  I've  heard  that  story  so  often." 

"Well,  then,  you  sha'n't  hear  it  again.  Now,  I'll  go 
out,  and  see  where  Tom  may  be.  I  suppose  he's  looking 
at  the  wind,  and  thinking  how  it  changes  like  a  woman. 
But  I'll  light  my  pipe  first." 

"Do,  father;  and  while  Tom  looks  at  the  wind,  and 
thinks  of  women,  do  you  just  watch  the  smoke  out  of  your 
pipe,  and  think  of  men,  and  their  constancy." 

"Well,  I  will,  if  it  pleases  you.  Put  the  letter  by, 
Bessy,  for  I  shouldn't  like  Tom  to  see  it.  What  have  you 
got  for  dinner  ?  " 

"  I  left  that  to  Mrs  Maddox ;  so  I  can't  tell.  But 
there's  cold  pudding  in  the  larder ;  I'll  put  it  out  for 
Tom." 

"  Nay,  Bessy,  you  must  not  jest  with  him." 

"Am  I  likely,  think  you,  father?"  replied  Bessy;  "can't 
I  feel  for  him  ? " 

"  Come,  come,  dearest,  I  didn't  mean  to  make  you  cry." 

"  I'm  not  crying,  but  I'm  very  sorry  for  Tom,  and  that's 
the  truth.  Now  go  away  with  your  pipe,  and  leave  me 
alone." 

It  was  impossible  for  me  to  have  returned  without  being 
perceived,  and  I  therefore  remained  during  the  whole  of 
this  conversation.  I  was  annoyed  to  discover  that  they 
knew  my  secret ;  and  still  more  vexed  at  the  remainder  of 
this  colloquy,  by  which  I  discovered  that  Bramble  had  so 
completely  set  his  heart  upon  an  union  between  me  and 
Bessy,  which  I  considered  as  impossible.  I  felt,  as  all  do 
at  the  time,  as  if  I  never  could  love  again.    I  walked  away. 


\ 


286  Poor  Jack 

and  did  not  return  home  till  dinner-time.  Bramble  and 
Bessy  were  very  kind,  although  they  did  not  talk  much  j 
and  when  I  went  away  the  next  day  I  was  moved  with  the 
affectionate  farewell  of  the  latter. 

It  was  a  beautiful  night,  and  we  were  running  before 
the  east  wind,  the  Portland  light  upon  our  starboard  beam; 
the  other  men  in  the  boat  had  laid  down  in  their  gregos 
and  pilot  jackets,  and  were  fast  asleep,  while  Bramble  was 
at  the  helm  steering  j  and  I,  who  was  too  restless  in  my 
mind  to  feel  any  inclination  to  repose,  was  sitting  on  the 
stern-sheets  beside  him. 

"Do  you  see  the  line  of  the  Race^^^  said  Bramble;  "it 
seems  strong  to-night." 

Bramble  referred  to  what  is  called  by  the  mariners  the 
Race  of  Portland ;  where  the  uneven  ground  over  which 
the  water  runs  creates  a  very  heavy  sea  even  in  a  calra. 
Small  smuggling  vessels  and  boats,  forced  into  it  in  bad 
weather,  have  often  foundered.  The  tide,  however,  runs 
so  rapidly  over  it,  that  you  are  generally  swept  through  it 
in  a  few  minutes,  and  then  find  yourself  again  in  compara- 
tively smooth  water. 

"  Yes,"  replied  I;  "it  is  very  strong  to-night,  from  the 
long  continuance  of  the  easterly  wind." 

"  Exactly  so,  Tom,"  continued  Bramble  :  "  Fve  often 
thoughtthat  getting  into  that  Race  is  just  like  falling  in  love." 

"Why  so?"  replied  I,  rather  pettishly;  for  I  was  not 
pleased  at  his  referring  to  the  subject. 

"I'll  tell  you  why,  Tom,"  said  Bramble;  ** because, 
you  see,  when  we  get  into  the  Race,  it's  all  boiling  and 
bubbling  and  tossing  about — rudder  and  sails  are  of  no 
use ;  and  you  are  carried  along  by  a  fierce  tide,  which 
there's  no  resisting,  with  no  small  damage  to  the  upper 
works,  until  you  are  fairly  out  again,  and  find  breath  to 
thank  God  for  it.     Now,  ar'n't  that  like  love .''  " 

"I  suppose  it  is,  as  you  say  so;  you  know  best." 

"  Well,  I  think  I  do  know  best ;  because,  you  see, 
I  have  long  been  clear  of  it.  I  never  was  in  love  but 
once,  Tom  ;  did  I  ever  tell  you  about  it  ?  " 


Poor  Jack  287 

"  Never,"  replied  I. 

"Well,  then,  as  'twill  pass  time  away,  I'll  just  give  you 
the  long  and  the  short  of  it,  as  the  saying  is.  When  I  was 
just  about  twenty,  and  a  smart  lad  in  my  own  opinion,  I 
was  on  board  of  a  transport ;  and  we  had  gone  round  to 
Portsmouth  with  a  load  of  timber  for  the  dock-yard.  It 
was  not  my  first  trip  there,  for  you  see  the  transport  was 
employed  wholly  on  that  service  ;  and  during  my  cruising 
on  shore  I  had  taken  up  my  quarters  at  the  Chequer 
Board,  a  house  a  little  way  from  the  common  Hard,  in  the 
street  facing  the  dock-yard  wall ;  for,  you  see,  Tom,  it 
was  handy  to  us,  as  our  ship  laid  at  the  wharf,  off  the 
mast  pond,  it  being  just  outside  the  dock-yard  gates.  The 
old  fellow  who  kept  the  house  was  as  round  as  a  ball,  for 
he  never  started  out  by  any  chance  from  one  year's  end  to 
another  :  his  wife  was  dead  ;  and  he  had  an  only  daughter, 
who  served  at  the  bar,  in  a  white  cap  with  blue  streamers ; 
and  when  her  hair  was  out  of  papers,  and  she  put  on  clean 
shoes  and  stockings,  which  she  did  every  day  after  dinner, 
she  was  a  very  smart,  neat  built  little  heifer  ;  and,  being  an 
only  daughter,  she  was  considered  as  a  great  catch  to  any 
one  who  could  get  hold  of  her.  She  had  quite  the  upper 
hand  of  her  father,  who  dared  not  say  a  word  ;  and  with 
others  she  would  give  herself  no  few  airs.  At  one  time 
she  would  be  as  sweet  as  sugar,  and  the  next,  without  any 
cause,  she'd  '  wonder  at  your  imperance.'  It  was  difficult 
to  know  how  to  take  her :  it's  a  bad  thing  for  a  girl  to 
have  a  great  fortune ;  they  get  so  much  flattery  that 
it  turns  their  heads.  Well,  Tom,  I  wasn't  looking  after 
the  money,  as  you'll  believe  when  I  tell  you  so  j  but  as  she 
was  very  chatty  with  me,  and  allowed  me  to  come  inside 
the  bar,  which  was  considered  as  a  great  favour,  to  help 
rinse  the  glasses,  and  so  on,  and  as  the  other  men  used  to 
joke  with  me,  and  tell  me  that  I  should  carry  off  the  prize,  I 
began  to  think  that  she  was  fond  of  me,  and  so  very  naturally 
I  became  fond  of  her — and  we  met  and  we  parted  (and  she 
would  allow  me  to  kiss  her  when  we  parted),  until  I  was 
quite  gone  altogether,  and  did  nothing  but  think  of  her  all 


288  Poor  Jack 

day,  and  dream  of  her  all  night.  Well,  the  last  time  that 
I  was  in  the  transport  to  Portsmouth,  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  to  clench  the  business,  and  as  soon  as  the  sails  were 
fui-led,  I  dressed  myself  in  my  best  toggery,  and  made  all 
sail  for  the  old  house.  When  I  came  in,  I  found  Peggy  in 
the  bar,  and  a  very  fancy  sort  of  young  chap  alongside  of 
her.  I  did  not  think  so  much  of  that,  and  I  was  going 
inside  the  bar  to  shake  hands  as  usual,  when,  says  she, 
*  Well,  I  should  not  wonder,'  pulling  to  the  half  door, 
as  if  she  were  surprised  at  my  attempting  to  come  in. 

"  '  Oh,  ho  !  '  says  I,  *  are  you  on  that  tack  ?  what  next  ? ' 
and  then  I  looked  more  at  the  chap,  and  he  was  a  very 
nice  young  man,  as  the  saying  is.  As  I  afterwards  found 
out,  he  was  in  the  smuggling  line  between  Cherbourg  and 
our  coast,  and  he  had  frenchified  manners,  and  he  talked 
little  bits  of  French,  and  he  had  French  gloves  for  presents, 
and  had  ear-rings  in  his  ears,  and  lots  of  rings  on  his 
fingers.  So  I  took  my  seat  at  the  wooden  benches  near 
the  fire,  just  as  sulky  as  a  bear  with  a  sore  head,  watching 
their  manoeuvres  :  at  last  he  walked  out,  kissing  his  hand 
as  she  smiles.  As  the  coast  was  clear,  I  went  up  to  the 
bar. 

*•  *  Well,'  says  I,  *  Peggy,  so  the  wind's  shifted,  is  it  ?  ' 

*'  '  What  do  you  mean  ? '  says  she.  *  I  suppose  I  may 
be  civil  to  another  person  as  well  as  to  you.' 

"  *  Yes,  I  see  no  objection,'  says  I ;  *  but  why  was  he  to 
be  inside  the  bar,  and  I  put  out  ?  ' 

"  '  Oh,'  replied  she,  *  one  at  a  time,  you  know,  Mr 
Philip.  I  haven't  made  any  promises  to  you  that  I 
know  of.' 

"  '  That's  very  true,'  replied  I,  '  but * 

"  '  Oh,  you  mustn't  fret  here,'  interrupted  she  :  *  I'm  my 
own  mistress,  I  suppose.  However,  I'll  tell  you  this  much, 
that  I  don't  care  a  bit  about  him,  and  that's  the  truth  of  it 
— but  I  did  not  like  your  coming  inside  the  bar  so  quietly, 
as  if  you  had  a  right  there — for  I  don't  want  people  to 
make  remarks.' 

"Well,  the  end  of  it  was,  that  she  pacified  me,  and  we 


Poor  Jack  289 

were  as  great  friends  almost  as  ever  :  I  say  almost,  for 
I  had  my  eyes  upon  her  and  that  chap,  and  did  not  much 
lilce  it.  A  week  after  my  arrival,  there  was  to  be  a  fair 
over  at  Ryde,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  I  asked  Peggy 
whether  she  would  go  with  me ;  but  she  refused,  saying 
that  she  was  obliged  to  go  to  her  aunt's  out  at  Limber- 
hook,  who  was  very  old,  and  had  sent  for  her,  so  I  thought 
nothing  more  about  the  matter.  Well,  the  day  before  the 
fair,  as  we  were  busy  in  the  forenoon  getting  the  timber 
out  of  the  vessel,  one  of  my  shipmates,  who  went  to  the 
same  house,  says  to  me,  *  I  say,  Tom,  when  I  was  at  the 
Chequers  last  night,  I  overheard  Peggy  promise  to  go  to 
the  Ryde  Fair  with  that  frenchified  smuggling  chap.' 

'"Did  you  ? '  said  I. 

"  '  Yes,'  replied  he,  '  and  they  agreed  to  start  at  twelve 
o'clock,  just  after  the  Dock-yard  Bell  rang :  I  thought  at 
the  time  it  was  just  to  give  you  the  slip  before  you  left 
the  ship,  and  that  she  is  turning  you  over.' 

"  Well,  when  I  heard  this,  did  not  my  blood  boil  ?  for 
the  hussy  had  told  me  a  lie,  in  saying  that  she  was  going 
to  her  aunt's  ;  and  it  was  evident  that  she  had  done  so, 
that  she  might  go  with  this  other  fellow  to  the  fair.  I 
thought  the  matter  over  and  over  again,  for,  to  tell  you 
the  truth,  all  I  wanted  then  was  revenge.  I  felt  nothing 
but  scorn  for  a  woman  who  could  act  in  so  base  a  manner  j 
at  the  same  time  I  wished  to  punish  both  her  and  him  by 
spoiling  their  day's  sport ;  so  at  last  I  determined  that  1 
would  start  right  away  for  the  fair  myself,  and  not  only 
put  her  to  shame,  but  give  her  fancy  man  a  good  drub- 
bing, which  I  was  well  able  to  do.  So  I  walks  down  to 
Point,  and  gets  into  a  wherry,  keeping  a  sharp  look-out 
for  their  coming  down  from  the  Hard.  At  last  I  spied 
them,  and  then  I  made  the  waterman  pull  away,  so  as  to 
keep  about  three  cables'  length  ahead  of  them,  and  thus 
I  continued  watching  their  billing  and  cooing,  and  grind- 
ing my  teeth  with  rage,  until  we  had  come  over  to  the 
other  side.  Now,  you  see,  Tom,  at  that  time  there  was 
no  wooden  pier  at  Ryde  as  there  is  now,  and  when  the 

P.J.  T 


290  Poor  Jack 

tide  was  out,  tliere  was  such  a  long  flat  of  mud  that  there 
was  no  landing  j  so  the  way  it  was  managed  was,  the 
wherries  came  in  as  far  as  they  could,  and  were  met  by 
a  horse  and  cart,  which  took  out  the  passengers,  and 
carried  them  through  the  mud  and  water  to  the  hard 
ground.  Well,  when  I  pulled  in,  the  man  was  there  with 
his  horse  and  cart,  and  I  paid  my  fare,  and  stepped  out  of 
the  wherry,  expecting  the  man  to  drive  off,  and  put  me  on 
$hore ;  but  he  seeing  that  there  was  another  wherry  close 
at  hand,  says  he  must  wait  for  her  passengers,  and  make 
one  trip  of  it.  I  did  not  care  how  soon  we  met,  and 
waited  very  patiently  until  they  pulled  up  to  us.  They 
were  not  a  little  surprised  to  see  me,  and  not  a  little 
annoyed  either.  As  for  Peggy,  she  coloured  to  her  elbows, 
and  then  tried  to  put  up  an  impudent  face  on  the  matter. 
He  looked  both  foolish  and  angry.  They  were  both  very 
smart.  She  had  on  a  white  gown  with  a  yellow  hand- 
kerchief on  her  shoulders,  a  green  silk  bonnet,  and  blue 
feathers,  and  he  was  figged  out  as  fine  as  fivepence,  with 
white  jean  trousers,  and  rings  and  chains,  and  Lord  knows 
what. 

***"W"ell,'  says  Peggy,  as  bold  as  brass,  'who'd  have 
thought  to  have  seen  you  here  ? ' 

**  *  I  did  not  say  that  I  was  going  to  see  my  aunt,' 
replied  I ;  *  but  as  you  did,  who  would  have  expected  to 
see  you  here  ?  ' 

"  *  Don't  talk  to  me,  young  man,'  said  she,  as  red  as  fire, 
and  turning  away  to  her  beau. 

"  Just  as  she  said  this,  the  cart  drove  off,  the  horse 
floundering  through  the  mud,  which  was  about  three  feet 
deep,  with  a  matter  of  six  inches  of  water  above  it.  As 
she  turned  away  aft,  I  turned  forward,  thinking  what  I 
should  do  next,  and  then  I  cast  my  eyes  down,  and 
observed  that  it  was  a  tilting  cart  as  they  use  for  carrying 
out  manure,  and  that  if  I  took  the  two  pegs  out  it  would 
fall  right  back.  I  thought  this  a  capital  trick.  The  car- 
man was  sitting  on  his  horse,  and  it  couldn't  matter  to  him, 
so  I  stepped  out  on  the  front  of  the  cart,  and  standing  on 


Poor  Jack  291 

the  shafts,  I  first  pulled  out  one  peg  and  then  another, 
while  they  were  busy  talking  to  each  other,  with  their 
heads  so  close,  that  his  face  was  under  her  bonnet.  As 
soon  as  the  second  peg  was  out,  I  helped  up  the  front  of 
the  cart  a  little,  and  back  it  went,  shooting  them  out  right 
head  foremost  in  the  mud.  You  never  saw  such  a  scramble, 
for  they  had  caught  hold  of  each  other  in  their  fright,  and 
they  rolled  and  floundered,  and  were  half  smothered  before 
they  could  recover  their  feet  5  and  then  a  pretty  pickle  they 
were  in,  wet  to  the  skin,  and  covered  with  mud  from  one 
end  to  the  other  ;  they  could  not  see  out  of  their  eyes. 
Peggy  did  nothing  but  scream  and  flounder — she  was 
frightened  out  of  her  wits — while  the  carman  and  I  laughed 
ready  to  split.  I  gave  him  a  half-crown  to  drive  on  shore 
without  them,  which  he  did,  and  we  left  them  to  make 
their  way  out  how  they  could  ;  and  a  pretty  pickle  they 
did  come  out  at  last.  Thus  was  their  day's  pleasure  as 
well  as  their  clothes  all  spoilt  j  and  instead  of  dancing  at 
the  fair,  and  seeing  all  the  sights,  they  were  shivering  in 
their  wet  clothes,  and  the  laughing-stocks  to  all  that  saw 
them. 

"  Depend  upon  it,  I  did  not  leave  them  after  they  had 
crawled  out  to  the  beach.  The  fellow  was,  as  you  may 
suppose,  as  savage  as  a  bull,  and  very  saucy,  so  I  took  off 
my  jacket  that  I  might  not  dirty  myself,  and  gave  him  a 
couple  of  black  eyes  and  a  bloody  nose  for  his  trouble ; 
and  as  for  Peggy,  I  pretended  to  be  so  sorry  for  her,  and 
condoled  her  so  much,  that  at  last  she  flew  at  me  like  a 
tigress ;  and  as  I  knew  that  there  was  no  honour,  and 
plenty  of  mud,  to  be  gained  by  the  conflict,  I  took  to  my 
heels  and  ran  off  to  the  fair,  where  I  met  some  of  my 
friends  and  told  them  what  had  happened,  and  then  we 
had  a  very  merry  day  of  it,  and  I  felt  quite  cured  of  my 
love;  for,  you  see,  Peggy  looked  so  ugly  and  miserable 
when  she  was  in  the  state  I  left  her,  that  I  had  only  to 
think  of  her  as  when  I  last  saw  her,  and  all  my  love  was 
gone." 

"  Did  you  ever  meet  her  again .''  " 


292  Poor  Jack 

"I  met  her  that  very  night  j  for,  you  see,  she  had  gone 
to  a  cottage  and  taken  off  her  clothes,  having  insisted  upon 
her  fancy  man  going  back  to  Portsmouth  to  fetch  her 
others  to  go  home  in.  He  dared  not  refuse,  so  off  he 
went  in  the  pickle  that  he  was ;  but  he  didn't  come  back 
again,  for,  you  see,  there  was  a  warrant  out  against  him 
for  an  affray  at  Bear  Haven,  in  which  a  king's  officer  was 
killed  ;  and  after  he  had  changed  his  own  clothes,  and  was 
proceeding  to  get  some  for  her  from  the  Chequers,  he  was 
met  by  the  constable  who  had  the  warrant,  and  carried  off 
liandcuJfFed  to  gaol,  and  afterwards  he  was  transported ; 
so  she  never  saw  him  again.  Well,  Peggy,  poor  creature, 
had  been  waiting  for  him  for  hours,  expecting  his  return ; 
and  it  was  past  ten  o'clock  when  I  was  coming  down  with 
some  others,  and  saw  her  at  the  door  of  the  cottage 
weeping. — '  Good-night,  Peggy,'  says  I. 

"  '  O,  Philip,  do  be  kind,  do  come  to  me  ;  I'm  frightened 
out  of  my  life.     I  shall  have  to  stay  here  all  night.' 

"  So,  you  see,  I  did  feel  some  little  pity  for  her,  and  I 
went  up  to  her,  and  she  told  me  how  she  had  sent  him, 
and  he  had  never  come  back  again.  *  The  fact  is,'  says  I, 
'  Peggy,  you  ar'n't  smart  enough  for  such  a  frenchified  chap 
as  he  is.  He  don't  like  to  be  seen  in  your  company. 
Come,  get  up,  and  I  will  see  you  home  at  all  events  ; '  so  I 
took  charge  of  her,  and  saw  her  safe  to  her  father's  door. 

*'  *  Wo' n't  you  come  in  ? '  said  she. 

*'  *  No,  thank  you,'  says  I. 

*'  *  Wo' n't  you  forgive  me,  Philip  ? '  said  she. 

"  '  Yes,'  says  I,  '  I'll  forgive  you,  for  old  acquaintance- 
sake,  and  for  one  more  reason.' 

"  '  What's  that  ? '  says  Peggy. 

**  'Why,'  says  I,  *  for  the  lesson  which  you've  learnt  me. 
I've  been  made  a  fool  of  once,  and  it's  your  fault ;  but  if 
ever  a  woman  makes  a  fool  of  me  again,  why  then  it's 
mine  ;  and  so,  Peggy,  good-bye  for  ever.' 

"So  I  turned  away  on  my  heel ;  and  as  I  left  the 
transport  the  next  trip,  I  never  saw  her  again." 

"  Well,  Bramble,"  replied  I,  *'  I  agree  with  you — and  if 


Poor  Jack  2,93 

ever  a  woman  makes  a  fool  of  me  again,  it  will  be  my 
fault.  You  know  what's  happened,  so  I  don't  mind  saying 
so." 

"Why,  Tom,  in  your  present  humour,  you  think  so; 
but  all  do  not  keep  to  the  same  way  of  thinking  as  I 
did,  till  it  was  too  late  to  think  about  marrying  ;  but 
still  I  do  not  think  that  I  should  have  been  happy  as 
a  single  man,  if  it  had  not  been  for  my  falling  in  with 
Bessy.  I  should  have  been  very  lonely  I  expect,  for  I 
began  to  feel  so.  When  you  come  to  your  own  door, 
Tom,  home  looks  cheerless  if  there  is  no  bright  eye  to 
welcome  you,  and  the  older  a  man  gets,  the  more  he 
feels  that  he  was  not  intended  to  live  single.  My  yearn- 
ing after  something  to  love,  and  to  love  me,  which  is 
in  our  nature,  was  satisfied,  first  by  having  Bessy,  and 
then  by  having  you — and  I'm  thankful." 

"  You  might  have  married,  and  have  been  very  unhappy." 

"I  might,  and  I  might  have  been  very  happy,  had  I 
chosen  a  wife  as  a  man  should  do." 

"  And  how  is  that,  pray.  Bramble  ?  " 

**  Why,  Tom,  I've  often  thought  upon  it.  In  the  first 
place,  look  out  for  good  temper :  if  you  find  that,  you 
may  be  happy,  even  if  your  wife  is  a  silly  woman  j  assure 
yourself  first  of  her  temper,  and  then  you  must  judge 
her  by  the  way  in  which  she  does  those  duties  which 
have  fallen  to  her  lot ;  for  if  a  girl  is  a  dutiful  and 
affectionate  daughter,  there  is  little  fear  but  that  she  will 
prove  a  loving  and  obedient  wife.  But  I  think  we  have 
had  our  spell  here,  Tom,  and  it's  rather  cold  :  rouse  up 
one  of  those  chaps,  and  tell  him  to  come  to  the  helm. 
I'll  coil  myself  up  and  have  a  snooze  till  the  morning, 
and  do  you  do  the  same." 


294  Poor  Jack 

Chapter  XXXIX 

In  which  I  receive  a  very  severe  blow  from  a  party  or  parties  unknown. 

The  day  after  this  conversation  we  fell  in  with  several 
vessels  wind-bound  at  the  entrance  of  the  Channel.  I  took 
charge  of  one,  and  the  wind  shifting  to  the  S.W.,  and 
blowing  strong,  I  carried  her  up  to  the  Pool.  As  soon 
as  I  could  leave  her,  I  took  a  boat  to  go  down  to 
Greenwich,  as  I  was  most  anxious  to  have  a  long  con- 
versation with  Virginia.  It  was  a  dark  squally  night, 
with  rain  at  intervals  between  the  gusts  of  wind,  and  I 
was  wet  through  long  before  I  landed  at  the  stairs,  which 
was  not  until  past  eleven  o'clock.  I  paid  the  waterman, 
and  hastened  up  to  my  mother's  house  ;  being  aware  that 
they  would  either  be  all  in  bed,  or  about  to  retire.  It 
so  happened  that  I  did  not  go  the  usual  way,  but  passed 
by  the  house  of  old  Nanny ;  and  as  I  walked  by  with 
a  quick  step,  and  was  thinking  of  her  and  her  misfortunes, 
I  fell  over  something  which,  in  the  dark,  I  did  not  per- 
ceive, and  which  proved  to  be  some  iron  railings,  which 
the  workmen  who  were  fixing  them  up  had  carelessly 
left  on  the  ground,  previous  to  their  returning  to  their 
work  on  the  ensuing  morning.  Fortunately  the  spikes 
at  the  ends  of  them  were  from  me,  and  I  received  no 
injury,  except  a  severe  blow  on  the  shin ;  and,  as  I 
stopped  a  moment  to  rub  it,  I  thought  that  I  heard  a 
cry  from  the  direction  of  old  Nanny's  house ;  but  the 
wind  was  very  high,  and  I  was  not  certain.  I  stopped 
and  listened,  and  it  was  repeated,  I  gained  the  door ; 
it  was  so  dark  that  I  groped  for  the  latch.  The  door 
was  open,  and  when  I  went  in  I  heard  a  gurgling  kind 
of  noise  and  a  rustling  in  her  chamber.  "Who's  there? 
— What's  this  ? "  cried  I ;  for  I  had  a  foreboding  that 
something  was  wrong.  I  tumbled  over  some  old  iron, 
knocked  down  the  range  of  keys,  and  made  a  terrible 
din,  when,  of  a  sudden,  just  as  I  had  recovered  my  legs, 


Poor  Jack  295 

I  was  thrown  down  again  by  somebody  who  rushed  by 
me  and  darted  out  of  the  door.  As  the  person  rushed  by 
me,  I  attempted  to  seize  his  arm,  but  I  received  a  severe 
blow  on  the  mouth,  which  cut  my  Up  through,  and  at 
first  I  thought  I  had  lost  all  my  front  teeth. 

I  rose  up  J  I  heard  a  heavy  groaning  ;  so,  instead  of 
pursuing  the  robber,  I  felt  my  way  into  Nanny's  chamber. 
"Nanny,"  said  I,  "mother,  what's  the  matter?"  but 
there  was  no  reply,  except  another  groan.  I  knew  where 
she  kept  her  tinder-box  and  matches  ;  I  found  them,  and 
struck  a  light ;  and  by  the  light  of  the  match  I  perceived 
the  candle  and  candlestick  lying  on  the  floor.  I  picked 
it  up,  lighted  it,  and  then  turned  to  the  bed  ;  the  flock 
mattress  was  above  all,  and  the  groans  proceeded  from 
beneath.  I  threw  it  off,  and  found  old  Nanny  still 
breathing,  but  in  a  state  of  great  exhaustion,  and  quite 
insensible.  By  throwing  water  on  her  face,  after  some 
little  while  I  brought  her  to  her  senses.  The  flaring  of 
the  candle  reminded  me  that  the  shop  door  was  open  ; 
I  went  and  made  it  fast,  and  then  spoke  to  her.  It  was 
a  long  while  before  I  could  obtain  any  rational  answer. 
She  continued  to  groan  and  cry  at  intervals,  "  Don't  leave 
me,  Jack,  don't  leave  me."  At  last  she  fell  into  a  sort 
of  slumber  from  exhaustion,  and  in  this  state  she  remained 
for  more  than  an  hour.  One  thing  was  evident  to  me, 
which  was,  that  the  party,  whoever  it  might  be,  had 
attempted  to  smother  the  poor  old  woman,  and  that  in 
a  few  seconds  more  he  would  have  perpetrated  the  deed. 

At  last  old  Nanny  roused  up,  and  turning  to  me,  said, 
"  It's  Jack,  is  it  not  ?  I  thought  so.  Oh,  my  poor  head  ! 
— ^What  has  happened  ?  " 

"  That's  what  I  want  to  know  from  you,  mother,"  re- 
plied I ;  "  but  first  I  will  tell  you  what  I  know  of  the 
business ; "  which  I  did  to  give  her  time  to  collect  her 
thoughts. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  so  it  was.  I  was  just  in  bed,  and 
my  candle  was  not  out,  when  I  heard  a  noise  at  the  door, 
as  if  they  were  turning  a  key  in  it  j  and  then  a  man 


296  Poor  Jack 

entered ;  but  he  had  something  over  his  face,  I  thought, 
or  he  had  blacked  it.  '  What  do  you  want  ? '  cried  I ; 
'  I  come  for  a  light,  old  woman,'  said  he.  I  cried,  *  Thieves  ! 
murder  ! '  as  loud  as  I  could,  and  he  ran  up  to  me  just  as  I 
was  getting  out  of  bed,  and  tried  to  smother  me.  I  don't 
recollect  anything  more  till  I  heard  your  voice.  Thank 
you.  Jack,  and  God  bless  you  ;  if  you  hadn't  come  to  the 
assistance  of  a  poor  old  wretch  like  me,  I  should  have  been 
dead  by  this  time." 

I  felt  that  what  she  said  was  true,  and  I  then  asked  her 
many  questions,  so  as  to  lead  to  the  discovery  of  the  party. 
"  How  was  he  dressed  ?  "  inquired  I. 

' '  I  can't  exactly  say  ;  but  do  you  know.  Jack,  I  fancied 
that  he  had  a  pensioner's  coat  on ;  indeed,  I'm  almost  sure 
of  it.  I  think  I  tore  off  one  of  his  buttons, — I  recollect  its 
giving  way  j — I  may  be  wrong, — my  head  wanders." 

But  I  thought  that,  most  likely,  Nanny  was  right ;  so  I 
looked  down  on  the  floor  with  the  candle,  and  there  I 
picked  up  a  pensioner's  button.  '*  You're  right,  Nanny ; 
here  is  the  button." 

"Well,  now.  Jack,  I  can't  talk  any  more  j  you  wo' n't 
leave  me  to-night,  I'm  sure." 

* '  No,  no,  mother,  that  I  will  not ; — try  to  go  to 
sleep." 

Hardly  had  Nanny  laid  her  head  down  again,  when  it 
came  across  my  mind  like  a  flash  of  lightning  that  it  must 
have  been  Spicer  who  had  attempted  the  deed  ;  and  my 
reason  for  so  thinking  was,  that  the  blow  I  had  received 
on  the  mouth  was  not  like  that  from  the  hand  of  a  man, 
but  from  the  wooden  socket  fixed  to  the  stump  of  his  right 
arm.  The  more  I  reflected  upon  it,  the  more  I  was  con- 
vinced. He  was  a  clever  armourer,  and  had  picked  the 
lock ;  and  I  now  recalled  to  mind  what  had  never  struck 
me  before,  that  he  had  often  asked  me  questions  about 
old  Nanny,  and  whether  I  thought  the  report  that  she  had 
money  was  correct. 

It  was  daylight  before  old  Nanny  woke  up,  and  then  she 
appeared  to  be  quite  recovered.     I  told  her  my  suspicions. 


Poor  Jack  297 

and  my  intentions  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  them  as  far  as  I 
possibly  could. 

"Well,  and  what  then  ?  "  said  old  Nanny. 

"Why,  then,  if  we  bring  it  home  to  him,  he  will  be 
hanged,  as  he  deserves." 

"  Now,  Jack,  hear  me,"  said  old  Nanny  ;  "  you  wo'n't 
do  anything  I  don't  wish,  I'm  sure  -,  and  now  I'll  tell  you, 
— that  I  never  would  give  evidence  against  him  or  any 
other  man  to  have  him  hanged.  So,  if  you  find  out  that  it 
is  him,  do  not  say  a  word  about  it.  Promise  me, 
Jack." 

"  Why,  mother,  I  can't  exactly  say  that  I  will ;  but  I 
will  talk  to  Peter  Anderson  about  it." 

"  It's  no  use  talking  to  him  ;  and,  if  you  do,  it  must  be 
under  promise  of  secrecy,  or  I  will  not  consent  to  it.  Jack, 
Jack,  recollect  that  my  poor  boy  was  hanged  from  my  fault. 
Do  you  think  I  will  hang  another  ?  Oh,  no.  Perhaps  this 
very  man  had  a  foolish  wicked  mother,  like  me,  and  has, 
like  my  boy,  been  led  into  guilt.  Jack,  you  must  do  as  I 
wish — you  shall.  Jack." 

"  Well,  mother,  I  have  no  animosity  against  the  man 
himself;  and,  if  you  forgive  him,  I  do  not  see  why  I 
should  do  anything." 

"I  don't  forgive  him,  Jack;  but  I  think  of  my  own 
poor  boy." 

"  Well,  mother,  since  you  wish  it,  it  shall  be  so ;  and 
if  I  do  prove  that  the  man  I  suspect  is  the  party,  I  will 
say  nothing,  and  make  Anderson  promise  the  same,  as  I 
think  he  will.  But  how  is  it  that  people  come  to  rob  a 
poor  old  woman  like  you  ?  How  is  it,  mother,  that  there 
is  a  report  going  about  that  you  have  money  ?  " 

'*  Is  there  such  a  report.  Jack  ? " 

"  Yes,  mother,  everyone  says  so ;  why,  I  do  not  know ; 
and  as  long  as  it  is  supposed,  you  will  always  be  subject 
to  attacks  like  this ;  unless,  indeed,  if  you  have  money, 
you  were  to  put  it  away  safely,  and  let  everybody  know 
that  you  have  done  so.  Tell  me  truly,  mother,  have  you 
any  money  ?  " 


298  Poor  Jack 

"  Jack,  what  a  boy  you  are  to  ask  questions.  Well, 
perhaps  I  have  a  little, — a  very  little  5  but  no  one  will 
ever  find  out  where  I  have  hidden  it." 

"  But  they  will  try,  mother,  as  this  man  has  done ;  and 
you  will  always  be  in  peril  of  your  life.  "Why  not  place 
it  into  the  hands  of  some  safe  person  ?  " 

*'  Safe  person  !     Who's  safe  now-a-days  ? " 

**  Why,  for  instance,  there's  Mr  Wilson." 

**  Wilson !  what  do  you  know  about  him,  Jack,  except 
that  he  has  a  smooth  face  and  a  bald  head  ?  You're 
young.  Jack,  and  don't  know  the  world.  The  money's 
safe  where  it  is,  and  no  one  will  ever  find  it." 

'*  If  so,  who  is  to  find  it  after "     I  stopped,  for  I 

did  not  like  to  say,  after  she  was  dead. 

"  I  know  what  you  would  have  said.  Jack ;  who's  to 
find  it  after  my  death .?  That's  very  true.  I  never 
thought  of  that,  and  I  must  will  it  away.  I  never 
thought  of  that.  Jack ;  it's  very  true  5  and  Fm  glad 
that  you  have  mentioned  it.  But  who  dare  I  tell  ?  who 
can  I  trust  ? — Can  I  trust  you.  Jack  ? — can  I .? — I  ought ; 
for  it's  all  for  you.  Jack,  when  I  die." 

"  Mother,  whoever  it  may  be  for,  you  may,  I  hope, 
trust  me." 

*'  Well,  I  think  I  can.  I'll  tell  you  where  it  is.  Jack, 
and  that  will  prove  that  it  is  for  you,  for  nobody  else  will 
know  where  to  find  it.  But,  Jack,  dear,  dear  Jack,  don't 
you  rob  me,  as  my  son  did ;  don't  rob  me,  and  leave  me 
penniless,  as  he  did  ;  promise  me  ? " 

"  I  never  will,  mother ;  you  need  not  be  afraid." 

*'  Yes ;  so  you  say,  and  so  he  said  ; — he  swore  and  he 
cried  too.  Jack, — and  then  he  took  it  all,  and  left  his 
mother  without  a  farthing." 

«*  Well,  mother,  then  don't  tell  me-,  I'd  rather  not  know; 
you  will  only  be  uncomfortable,  and  so  let  the  money 
go." 

*<  No,  Jack,  that  wo'n't  do  either ;  I  will  tell  you,  for 
I  can  trust  you.  But  first.  Jack,  go  out  and  look  behind 
the  house,  that  there  is  no  one  listening  at  the  window  •, 


Poor  Jack  299 

for  if  anyone  should  hear — go,  Jook  round  carefully,  and 
then  come  back." 

I  did  as  she  wished,  and  then  Nanny  bid  me  hold  my 
head  closer  to  her,  while  she  whispered,  "  You  must  take 
the  back  out  of  the  fire-place,  and  then  pull  out  three 
bricks,  and  then  put  your  hand  into  the  hole,  and  you 
will  find  a  small  box ;  and  there  you  will  find  a  little 
money, — a  very  little.  Jack,  hardly  worth  having ;  but 
still  it  may  be  of  some  use  j  and  it's  all  yours  when  I  die. 
Jack  ;  I  give  it  to  you." 

"  Mother,  Fm  thankful  for  your  kindness  j  but  I  cannot 
touch  it,  if  you  do  die,  without  you  leave  it  to  me  by  your 
will." 

"  Ah  !  that's  true.  Jack.  Well,  tell  Anderson  to  come 
here,  and  I'll  tell  him  I'll  leave  the  money  to  you ;  but 
I  wo'n't  tell  him  where  it  is  ;  I'll  only  say  that  I  leave  you 
everything  I  have.  They'll  suppose  that  it's  the  shop 
and  all  the  pretty  things."  Here  she  chuckled  for  some 
time. 

It  was  now  broad  daylight,  and  Nanny  told  me  that  she 
would  like  to  get  up,  and  see  about  a  padlock  being  put 
to  her  door  before  night  j  so  I  wished  her  good-bye,  and 
left  her. 


Chapter  XL 

Showing  the  great  advantages  to  be  derived  from  patronage. 

I  LEFT  old  Nanny,  and  arrived  at  my  mother's  house 
in  time  for  breakfast.  I  did  not,  however,  find  her  in  a 
very  good  humour  ;  something  had  evidently  rufiled  her. 
Virginia,  also,  who  welcomed  me  most  cordially,  was 
taciturn  and  grave.  My  mother  made  but  one  observation 
during  our  repast. 

"Well,  Tom,"  said  she,  "you've  found  out  what  it  is 


300  Poor  Jack 

to  wish  to  marry  for  love ;  I  only  wish  it  may  be  a  lesson 
to  others." 

To  this  evident  attack  upon  Virginia,  at  the  expense  of  my 
feelings,  I  made  no  reply  ;  and  soon  afterwards  my  mother 
went  to  superintend  her  establishment,  leaving  me  and  my 
sister  alone. 

"  Tom,"  said  she,  **  I  hope  by  this  time  you  are  no 
longer  suffering  from  your  late  cruel  disappointment.  I 
have  felt  for  you,  I  assure  you,  and  assuring  you  of  that, 
will  not  again  revert  to  the  subject.  Let  her  be  blotted 
from  your  memory  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Be  it  so,  my  dear  Virginia ;  but  you  are  grave,  and 
my  mother  is  evidently  out  of  humour.  You  must  explain 
this." 

"  That  is  easily  done :  I  have  made  a  sad  mistake.  I  was 
so  much  annoyed  at  my  mother's  system  towards  me  that 
I  ventured,  without  her  knowledge,  to  write  to  Lady 
Hercules,  requesting  her  protection  and  influence  to 
procure  me  some  situation  as  a  companion  to  a  lady, 
amanuensis,  or  reader.  It  appears  that  her  Ladyship  was 
not  very  sincere  in  her  professions  when  we  had  an  inter- 
view with  her  ;  at  all  events,  her  reply  was  anything  but 
satisfactory,  and,  unfortunately,  it  was  addressed  to  my 
mother,  and  not  to  me.  You  can  have  no  idea  of  my 
mother's  indignation  upon  the  receipt  of  it,  and  she  has  not 
been  sparing  in  her  reproaches  to  me  for  having  written 
without  her  knowledge,  and  having,  by  so  doing,  subjected 
her  to  such  a  mortification.  I  certainly  am  sorry  to  have 
done  so.  As  for  her  Ladyship's  answer,  it  would  have  been 
to  me  more  a  subject  of  mirth  than  any  other  feeling.  It 
has,  however,  proved  the  cause  of  much  annoyance  from  my 
mother's  continually  harping  upon  it." 

"  Have  you  the  letter  of  Lady  Hercules  ?  " 

"  I  have  a  copy  of  it,  which  I  took,  intending  to  have  sent 
it  to  you  the  next  time  that  I  wrote.  I  will  bring  it  down, 
if  you  will  wait  a  minute." 

When  Virginia  returned,  she  put  the  following  epistle 
into  my  hand  : — 


Poor  Jack  301 

"  Mrs  Saunders, 

I  have  received  a  letter  from  your  daughter,  which,  I 
presume,  was  forwarded  as  a  specimen  of  her  penmanship  ; 
otherwise  it  was  your  duty  to  have  addressed  me  yourself. 
I  said  to  you,  when  I  met  you  at  Greenwich,  that  you  were 
educating  your  daughter  above  her  condition  in  life,  and  I 
now  repeat  it.  My  patronage  is  extended  only  to  those 
who  are  not  above  their  situations,  which,  I  am  sorry  to 
observe,  most  people  are  now.  Nevertheless,  as  I  did  say 
that  I  would  exert  my  influence  in  your  daughter's  behalf, 
in  consequence  of  your  having  been  a  decent  well-behaved 
menial  to  me,  I  have  made  inquiry  among  my  acquaintances, 
and  find  that  I  may  be,  possibly y  able  to  place  her  with  my 
friend.  Lady  Towser,  as  a  *  boudoir  assistant.'  I  have  said 
possibly,  as  I  am  by  no  means  sure  that  she  will  be  equal  to 
the  situation,  and  the  number  of  applicants  are  very 
numerous.  The  enclosed  paper  from  Lady  Towser  will 
give  you  an  idea  of  what  will  be  requisite  : 

"  Morning,  up  at  6,  and  nicely  dressed  ;  come  in  in  list 
shoes,  and  wait  at  bedside,  in  case  Lady  Towser  should  be 
troubled  with  her  morning  cough,  to  hand  the  emulsion. 
&c.  At  9,  to  call  and  assist  to  dress  Lady  Towser's  head 
tire-woman ;  follow  her  to  Lady  T.'s  chamber,  and  obey 
orders.  Breakfast  in  housekeeper's  room.  After  break- 
fast assist  housemaid  to  dust  ornaments,  and  on  Saturdays 
and  Wednesdays  ivash,  comb,  and  examine  dogs  ;  other 
days,  comb  and  examine  them  only ;  clean  and  feed  macaw, 
cockatoo,  and  parrot,  also  canary  and  other  birds  ;  bring  up 
dogs'  dinners,  and  prevent  them  fighting  at  meals.  After 
dogs'  dinners  read  to  Lady  T.,  if  required  ;  if  not,  get  up 
collars  and  flounces,  laces,  &c.,  for  Lady  T.  and  Lady 
T.'s  tire- woman.  After  your  own  dinner,  assist  house- 
keeper as  required  in  the  still-room  ;  fine  needle-work ; 
repair  clothes  before  they  go  to  wash  ;  dress  and  brush 
Lady  T.'s  perukes  ;  walk  out  with  dogs  if  weather  is  fine, 
and  be  careful  to  prevent  their  making  any  acquaintances 
whatever. 

"Evening. — Read  to  Lady  T.,  write  notes,  look  over 


302  Poor  Jack 

bills,  and  keep  general  accounts ;  if  not  wanted,  to  make 
herself  useful  in  housekeeper's  room,  and  obey  all  orders 
received  from  her  or  head  tire-woman.  At  night  see  that 
the  hot  water  is  ready  for  Lady  T.'s  feet,  and  wait  for  her 
retiring  to  bed  j  wash  Lady  T.'s  feet,  and  cut  corns,  as 
required  ;  read  Lady  T.  to  sleep,  or,  if  not  required  to 
read,  wait  till  she  is  certain  that  Lady  T.  is  so. 

"Now  the  only  points  in  which  I  think  your  daughter 
may  fail  is  in  properly  washing,  combing,  and  examining 
the  dogs,  and  cutting  her  ladyship's  corns  5  but  surely  she 
can  practise  a  little  of  both,  as  she  will  not  be  wanted  for 
a  month.  There  can  be  no  difficulty  about  the  first ;  and, 
as  for  the  latter,  as  all  people  in  your  rank  of  life  have 
corns,  she  may  practise  upon  yours  or  her  father's.  At 
all  events  there  can  be  no  want  of  corns  in  Greenwich 
Hospital  among  the  pensioners.  I  am  desired  to  say  that 
Lady  T.  gives  no  wages  the  first  year ;  and  you  will  be 
expected  to  send  your  daughter  neatly  fitted  out,  that 
she  may  be  able  to  remain  in  the  room  when  there  is 
company.  If  this  offer  will  not  suit,  I  can  do  nothing 
more  ;  the  difficulty  of  patronage  increases  every  day. 
You  will  send  an  answer. 

**  Virginia  Hawkingtrefylyan. 


**  I  was  just  closing  my  letter  when  Lady  Scrimmage 
came  in ;  she  tells  me  that  Lady  Towser  is  suited,  and 
that  you  have  no  hopes  of  this  situation.  I  have  done 
my  best.  Lady  Scrimmage  has,  however,  informed  me 
that  she  thinks  she  can,  upon  my  recommendation,  do 
something  for  you  in  Greenwich,  as  she  deals  largely 
with  a  highly  respectable  and  fashionable  milliner  of  the 
same  name  as  your  own,  and  with  whom  it  would  be 
of  the  greatest  advantage  to  your  daughter  to  be  placed 
as  an  apprentice,  or  something  of  that  sort.  This  is  an 
opportunity  not  to  be  lost,  and  I  therefore  have  requested 
Lady  S.  to  write  immediately ;  and  I  trust,  by  my  patronage, 
she  will  gain  a  most  enviable  situation. ^^ 


Poor  Jack  303 

**  That  postscript  is  admirable,"  observed  I,  "  and  ought 
to  have  put  my  mother  in  a  good  humour.  Is  she  not 
called  by  Lady  Hercules  *  highly  respectable  and  fashion- 
able?"' 

"Very  true,"  replied  Virginia;  "but  my  mother  cannot 
get  over  the  first  part  of  the  letter,  in  which  she  is 
mentioned  as  *a  decent  and  well-behaved  menial.'  She 
has  since  received  a  note  from  Lady  Scrimmage,  requesting 
her  to  take  me  in  some  capacity  or  another ;  adding,  by 
way  of  postscript,  *  You  know  you  need  not  keep  her 
if  you  do  not  like ;  it  is  very  easy  to  send  her  away  for 
idleness  or  impertinence;  but  I  wish  to  oblige  Lady 
Hercules,  and  so,  pray,  at  all  events,  write  and  say  that 
you  will  try  her.' " 

"  And  what  has  my  mother  said  in  reply  ? " 

**  She  did  not  show  me  the  answer ;  but,  from  what 
I  have  collected  from  her  conversation,  she  has  written  a 
most  haughty,  and,  I  presume  it  will  be  said,  a  most 
impertinent,  letter  to  both  the  ladies ;  the  one  to  Lady 
Scrimmage,  accompanied  with  her  bill,  which  has  not 
been  paid  these  three  years.  I  am  sorry  that  my  mother 
has  been  annoyed.  My  father,  to  whom  I  related  what 
had  taken  place,  told  me  that  my  mother  was  very 
ill-treated  by  Lady  Hercules  ;  and  that  she  had  smothered 
her  resentment  with  the  hopes  of  benefiting  her  children 
by  her  patronage ;  but  that  was  at  a  time  when  she  little 
expected  to  be  so  prosperous  as  she  is  now." 

**  It  is  all  true,  my  dear  girl ;  I  recollect  my  father 
telling  me  the  whole  story.  However,  I  presume  my 
mother,  now  that  she  can  venture  upon  defiance,  has 
not  failed  to  resort  to  it." 

"  That  I  am  convinced  of.  I  only  hope  that  she  will 
carry  her  indignation  against  great  people  so  far,  as  not 
to  court  them  as  she  has  done,  and  abandon  all  her 
ridiculous  ideas  of  making  a  match  for  me.  After  all, 
she  has  my  welfare  sincerely  at  heart,  and,  although 
mistaken  in  the  means  of  securing  it,  I  cannot  but  feel 
that  she  is  actuated  solely  by  her  love  for  me." 


304  Poor  Jack 

We  then  changed  the  conversation  to  Janet,  about 
whom  I  could  now  speak  calmly ;  after  which  I  narrated 
to  her  what  had  occurred  during  the  night,  and  my 
intention  to  consult  with  my  father  and  Anderson  upon 
the  subject. 

Virginia  then  left  me  that  she  might  assist  her  mother, 
and  I  hastened  to  my  father's  ward,  where  I  found  him, 
and,  after  our  first  greeting,  requested  that  he  would 
accompany  me  to  Anderson's  office,  as  I  had  something  to 
communicate  to  them  both.  As  I  walked  along  with  my 
father,  I  perceived  Spicer  at  a  corner,  with  his  foot  on  a 
stone  step,  and  his  hand  to  his  knee,  as  if  in  pain.  At 
last  he  turned  round  and  saw  us.  I  walked  up  to  him, 
and  he  appeared  a  little  confused,  as  he  said,  **  Ah  !  Tom, 
is  that  you  ?     I  did  not  know  you  were  at  Greenwich." 

**  I  came  here  last  night,"  replied  I ;  "  and  I  must  be  off 
again  soon.     Are  you  lame  ? " 

*•  Lame  !  No ;  what  should  make  me  lame  ? "  replied 
he,  walking  by  the  side  of  us  as  if  he  were  not  so. 

I  looked  at  his  coat,  and  perceived  that  the  third  button 
on  the  right  side  was  missing. 

*'  You've  lost  a  button,  Spicer,"  observed  I. 

"  So  I  have,"  replied  he  ;  and,  as  we  had  now  arrived  at 
Anderson's  door,  my  father  and  I  turned  from  him  to  walk 
in,  and  wished  him  good-bye. 

Anderson  was  in  his  office ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  door 
was  closed,  I  communicated  to  them  what  had  occurred 
during  the  night,  expressing  my  conviction  that  Spicer 
was  the  party  who  had  attempted  the  murder.  In  corro- 
boration I  reminded  my  father  of  the  loss  of  the  button 
from  Spicer's  coat,  and  produced  the  one  which  Nanny  had 
torn  off. 

"  This  is  something  more  than  suspicion,"  observed 
Anderson  j  "  but  if,  as  you  say,  old  Nanny  will  not  give 
evidence  against  him,  I  know  not  what  can  be  done.  Did 
you  say  that  the  old  woman  wanted  to  speak  with  me  ? " 

"  Yes,  and  I  really  wish  that  you  would  call  there 
oftener." 


Poor  Jack  305 

"  Well,"  replied  Anderson,  "  I'll  go,  Tom  ;  but,  to  be 
plain  with  you,  I  do  not  think  that  I  can  be  of  much  use 
there.  I  have  been  several  times :  she  will  gossip  as  long 
as  you  please  ;  but,  if  you  would  talk  seriously,  she  turns 
a  deaf  ear.  You  see,  Tom,  there's  little  to  be  gained 
when  you  have  to  contend  with  such  a  besetting  sin  as 
avarice.  It  is  so  powerful,  especially  in  old  age,  that  it 
absorbs  all  other  feelings.  Still  it  is  my  duty,  and  it  is 
also  my  sincere  wish,  to  call  her  to  a  proper  sense  of  her 
condition.  The  poor  old  creature  is,  like  myself,  not  very 
far  from  the  grave  ;  and,  when  once  in  it,  it  will  be  too 
late.  I  will  go,  Tom ;  and  most  thankful  shall  I  be,  if, 
with  God's  help,  I  may  prove  of  service  to  her." 

"We  then  left  old  Anderson  to  his  duties,  and  my  father 
went  home  with  me.  We  had  a  long  conversation  relative 
to  my  sister,  as  well  as  about  my  own  affairs.  I  had 
intended  to  have  remained  some  days  at  Greenwich,  but 
this  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  been  there  since  Janet's 
desertion,  and  the  sight  of  everything  so  reminded  me  of 
her,  and  made  everything  so  hateful  to  me,  that  I  became 
very  melancholy.  My  mother  was,  moreover,  very  cross, 
and  my  sister  anything  but  comfortable ;  and,  on  the  third 
day,  having  received  a  letter  from  Bramble,  stating  that  he 
had  arrived  at  Deal,  and  that  the  easterly  winds  having 
again  set  in,  they  talked  of  setting  out  again  in  the  galley, 
I  made  this  an  excuse  for  leaving  ;  and,  for  the  first  time, 
did  I  quit  Greenwich  without  regret. 


Chapter  XLI 

In  which  it  is  proved  that  sailors  have  very  correct  ideas  as  to 
Metempsychosis. 

The  day  after  my  return  to  Deal  I  again  embarked  with 
Bramble  and  three   others,  to   follow   up   our   vocation. 
The  second  day  we  were  abreast  of  the  Ram  Head,  when 
P.J.  u 


3o6  Poor  Jack 

the  men  in  another  pilot  boat,  which  had  come  out  of 
Plymouth  and  was  close  to  us,  waved  their  hats  and  kept 
away  to  speak  to  us.     We  hove-to  for  them. 

**  Have  you  heard  the  news  ? "  cried  one  of  the  men. 

"  No." 

"  Lord  Nelson  has  beat  the  French  and  Spanish 
Fleet." 

"  Glad  to  hear  it — huzza ! " 

"  Lord  Nelson's  killed." 

"  Lord  Nelson's  killed ! !  "  the  intelligence  was  repeated 
from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  then  every  voice  was  hushed ; 
the  other  boat  hauled  her  wind  without  further  communica- 
tion, nor  did  we  at  the  time  think  of  asking  for  any  more. 
The  shock  which  was  given  to  the  whole  country  was 
equally  felt  by  those  who  were  seeking  their  bread  in  a 
small  boat,  and  for  some  little  while  we  steered  our  course 
in  silence. 

"  What  d'ye  say,  my  lads  ? "  said  Bramble,  who  first 
broke  silence  ;  "  shall  we  haul  up  for  Cawsand,  and  get  a 
paper  ?     I  sha'n't  be  content  till  I  know  the  whole  history." 

This  was  consented  to  unanimously  ;  no  one  thought  of 
piloting  vessels  for  the  moment,  and  earning  food  for  their 
families.  When  the  country  awarded  a  public  funeral  to 
our  naval  hero,  it  did  not  pay  him  a  more  sincere  tribute 
than  was  done  in  this  instance  by  five  pilots  in  a  galley. 
At  Cawsand  we  obtained  the  newspaper,  and  after  a  few 
pots  of  beer,  we  again  made  sail  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Channel.  It  hardly  need  be  observed,  that  the  account  of 
this  winding-up,  as  it  proved,  of  our  naval  triumphs,  with 
the  death  of  Nelson,  was  the  subject  of  conversation  for 
more  than  one  day.  On  the  third,  we  were  all  separated, 
having  fallen  in  with  many  wind-bound  vessels  who  required 
our  services.  The  one  I  took  charge  of  was  a  West  India- 
man,  deeply  laden  with  rum  and  sugar,  one  of  a  convoy 
which  were  beating  about  in  the  chops  of  the  Channel. 
As  we  were  standing  out  from  the  English  coast,  the 
captain  and  one  of  the  passengers  were  at  the  tafFrail  close 
to  me. 


Poor  Jack  307 

**  What  do  you  think  of  the  weather,  pilot  ?  "  said  the 
captain. 

**  I  think  we  shall  have  a  change  of  wind,  and  dirty 
weather  before  twelve  hours  are  over  our  heads,"  replied  I. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "that's  my  opinion:  there  is  a  cloud 
rising  in  the  south-west ;  and,  look,  there  are  some  Mother 
Carey's  chickens  dipping  in  the  water  astern." 

"  Where  ?  "  said  the  passenger,  a  curly-headed  Creole, 
about  twenty  years  old. 

*'  Those  small  birds,"  replied  the  captain,  walking 
forward. 

The  passenger  went  down  below,  and  soon  returned 
with  his  double-barrelled  fowling-piece. 

"I  have  long  wished  to  shoot  one  of  those  birds,"  said 
he  ;  "and  now  they  are  so  near,  I  think  I  may  get  a  shot." 

He  raised  his  piece  several  times  without  firing,  when 
the  captain  came  aft,  and  perceiving  his  intention,  caught 
his  arm  as  he  was  about  to  level  again. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr  Higgins,  but  I  really  must 
request  that  you  will  not  fire  at  those  birds." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  I  cannot  permit  it." 

"But  what's  to  hinder  me.?"  replied  the  young  man, 
colouring  up  ;  "  they  are  not  in  your  manifest,  I  presume." 

"  No,  sir,  they  are  not ;  but  I  tell  you  frankly,  that  I 
-would  not  kill  one  for  a  hundred  pounds.  Nay,  I  would 
as  soon  murder  one  of  my  fellow-creatures." 

"  Well,  that  may  be  your  feeling,  but  it's  not  mine." 

"  Neverthless,  sir,  as  it  is,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  very 
unlucky,  you  will  oblige  me  by  yielding  to  my  request." 

"Nonsense! — just  to  humour  your  superstitious  feeling." 

"  We  are  not  in  port  yet,  Mr  Higgins ;  and  I  must  insist 
upon  it  you  do  not  fire.  You  have  taken  my  gunpowder, 
and  I  cannot  allow  it  to  be  used  in  that  way." 

During  this  altercation  I  observed  that  many  ot  the 
sailors  had  come  aft,  and,  although  they  said  nothing,  were 
evidently  of  the  same  opinion  as  the  captain.  I  was  aware 
that  there  was  a  superstitious  feeling  among  the  seamen 


3o8  Poor  Jack 

relative  to  these  birds,  but  I  had  never  seen  it  so  strongly 
exemplified  before. 

The  mate  gave  a  wink  to  the  captain,  behind  the 
passenger's  back,  and  made  a  motion  to  him  to  go  forward, 
which  the  captain  did.  The  passenger  again  raised  his  gun, 
when  it  was  seized  by  two  of  the  seamen. 

"  You  must  not  fire  at  these  birds,  sir  !  "  said  one  of  them. 

"  Why,  you  scoundrel  ? — I'll  give  you  the  contents  of 
both  barrels  if  you  don't  leave  my  gun  alone." 

"  No,  you  won't — you're  not  among  niggers  now, 
master,"  replied  the  seaman  ;  *'  and  as  you  have  threatened 
to  shoot  me,  I  must  take  the  gun  from  you." 

A  scuffle  ensued,  during  which  both  barrels  were  dis- 
charged in  the  air,  and  the  gun  taken  from  Mr  Higgins, 
who  was  boiling  with  rage  :  the  gun  was  handed  forward, 
and  I  saw  it  no  more.  Mr  Higgins,  in  a  state  of  great 
excitement,  went  down  into  the  cabin. 

The  captain  then  came  aft  to  me,  when  I  observed  that 
I  had  no  idea  that  seamen  were  so  very  particular  on  that 
point ;  and  I  thought  that  they  had  gone  too  far. 

"  You  may  think  so,  pilot,"  replied  he ;  "  but  when  I 
tell  you  that  I  fully  believe  that  these  birds  are  as  good  as 
ourselves,  you  will  not  be  surprised- " 

"  How  do  you  mean,  as  good  as  ourselves  .'' " 

"  I  believe  that  they  were  every  one  sailors  like  ourselves 
in  former  times ;  they  are  now  the  sailors'  friends,  come  to 
warn  us  of  the  approaching  storm,  and  I  can  tell  you  a 
circumstance  which  occurred  in  the  West  Indies,  which 
fully  proves  to  me  that  they  are  not  wantonly  killed  with- 
out a  judgment  upon  those  who  do  so.  I  never  believed 
it  myself  till  then ;  but  old  Mason,  who  is  now  on  board, 
was  one  of  the  seamen  of  the  vessel  in  which  the  circum- 
stance happened." 

"  Indeed  !  "  replied  I,  *'  I  should  like  to  hear  it." 

**  I  can't  tell  you  now,"  said  he ;  "I  must  go  down  and 
satisfy  that  puppy  Creole,  whose  sugars  are  on  board ;  he 
will  otherwise  make  such  a  row  between  me  and  the 
owners  that  I  may  lose  the  command  of  the  vessel.     And 


Poor  Jack  309 

yet,  would  you  imagine  it  ?  although  he  will  not  credit 
what  I  tell  him  about  Mother  Carey's  chickens,  the  foolish 
young  man  firmly  believes  in  the  Obi." 

I  did  not  think  one  superstition  more  ridiculous  than  the 
other,  but  still,  as  I  always  found  that  it  was  useless  to 
argue  such  points,  I  said  nothing,  and  the  captain  went 
down  into  the  cabin  to  pacify  Mr  Higgins. 

It  was  late  in  the  first  watch,  and  when  t\e  passengers 
had  retired  to  bed,  that  the  captain  came  on  deck. 

"Well,"  said  he,  **I  told  Mr  Higgins  my  story,  and  as 
there  was  a  bit  of  Obi  nonsense  in  it,  he  believed  it,  and 
he  has  not  only  made  friends,  but  thanked  me  for  not 
having  allowed  him  to  shoot  the  birds  5  and  now  I'll  tell 
you  the  real  story  : — 

"  A  schooner  was  coming  down  from  the  Virgin  Isles 
with  sugar  and  passengers  to  Antigua,  where  I  was  lying 
with  my  ship.  She  had  a  fine  young  fellow  of  the  name 
of  Shedden  on  board ;  and,  besides  other  passengers,  there 
was  an  old  black  woman,  who,  where  she  resided,  had 
always  been  considered  as  an  Obi  woman.  I  saw  her 
afterwards ;  and  you  never  beheld  such  a  complication  of 
wrinkles  as  she  was,  from  her  forehead  to  her  feet,  and  her 
woolly  head  was  as  white  as  snow.  They  were  becalmed 
as  soon  as  they  were  clear  of  the  islands  5  and,  as  it 
happened,  some  Mother  Carey's  chickens  were  flying 
about  the  stern.  Shedden  must  needs  get  at  his  gun  to 
shoot  them.  The  old  black  woman  sat  near  the  tafFrail ; 
she  saw  him  with  his  gun,  but  she  said  nothing.  At  last 
he  fired,  and  killed  three  of  them. 

"  '  There  are  three  down ! '  cried  out  some  of  the  other 
passengers. 

"  '  How  many  ? '  said  the  old  woman,  raising  her  head  ; 
*  three  !     Then  count  the  sharks  which  are  coming  up.' 

"  *  Count  the  sharks,  mother !  why  count  them  ? 
There's  plenty  of  them,'  replied  Shedden,  laughing. 

*•  *  I  tell  you  that  there  will  be  but  three  sent,'  replied 
the  old  woman,  who  then  sunk  down  her  head  and  said  no 
more. 


3IO  Poor  Jack 

"Well,  the  negroes  who  were  passengers  on  boards 
most  of  them  Mr  Shedden's  slaves,  looked  very  blank,  for 
they  knew  that  old  Etau  never  spoke  without  reason.  la 
about  ten  minutes  afterwards,  three  large  sharks  swam  up 
to  the  vessel,  with  their  fins  above  water. 

*•  *  There's  the  three  sharks,  sure  enough  ! '  said  the 
passengers. 

*'  *  Are  they  come  ?  *  said  Etau,  raising  her  head. 

**  *  Yes,  moder,  dere  dey  be — very  large  shark,'  replied 
one  of  the  negroes. 

"  *  Then  three  are  doomed,'  said  the  old  woman  ;  *  and 
here  we  stay,  and  the  waves  shall  not  run,  nor  the  wind 
blow,  till  the  three  sharks  have  their  food.  I  say — three 
are  doomed !  * 

"  The  passengers  were  more  or  less  alarmed  with  this 
prophecy  of  old  Etau's,  according  as  they  put  faith  in  her  f 
however,  they  all  went  to  bed  quite  well,  and  the  next 
morning  they  got  up  the  same.  Still  there  was  not  a 
breath  of  wind ;  the  whole  sea  was  as  smooth  as  glass,  and 
the  vessel  laid  where  she  was  the  night  before,  in  about 
six  fathoms  water,  about  a  mile  from  the  reef,  and  you 
could  see  the  coral  rocks  beneath  her  bottom  as  plain  as  if 
they  were  high  and  dry  ;  and  what  alarmed  them  the  next 
morning  was,  that  the  three  large  sharks  were  still  slowly 
swimming  round  and  round  the  schooner.  All  that  day  it 
remained  a  dead  calm,  and  the  heat  was  dreadful,  although 
the  awnings  were  spread.  Night  came  on,  and  the  people, 
becoming  more  frightened,  questioned  old  Etau ;  but 
all  the  answer  she  gave  was,  '  Three  are  doomed  ! ' 

**  The  passengers  and  crew  were  now  terrified  out  of 
their  wits,  and  they  all  went  to  bed  with  very  melancholy 
forebodings,  for  the  elements  appeared  as  if  they  were 
arrested  till  the  penalty  was  paid.  For,  you  observe,  pilot, 
there  is  always  a  light  breeze  as  regular  as  the  sun  rises 
and  goes  down ;  but  now  the  breezes  only  appeared 
to  skirt  the  land,  and  when  they  came  from  the  offing, 
invariably  stopped  two  or  three  miles  from  the  schooner. 
It  was  about  midnight  that  there  was  a  stir  in  the  cabin^ 


Poor  Jack  311 

and  it  appeared  that  Mr  Shedden  had  the  yellow  fever,  and 
shortly  afterwards  another  white  man,  a  sailor  belonging 
to  the  schooner,  then  one  of  Mr  Shedden's  slaves.  Well, 
there  the  fever  stopped, — no  one  else  was  taken  ill, — the 
usual  remedies  were  applied,  but  before  morning  they  were 
all  three  delirious.  At  sunrise  it  was  still  calm,  and 
continued  so  till  sunset ;  and  all  the  day  the  passengers 
were  annoyed  by  the  back  fins  of  the  three  sharks,  which 
continued  to  swim  about.  Again  they  went  to  bed  j  and 
just  before  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  Mr  Shedden,  in  his 
delirium,  got  out  of  his  bed,  and,  rushing  on  the  deck, 
jumped  overboard  before  any  one  could  prevent  him ;  and 
old  Etau,  who  never  left  where  she  sat,  was  heard  to  say, 
*  One  ! '  and  the  bell  was  struck  one  by  the  seaman  forward, 
who  did  not  know  what  had  happened.  Morning  came  on 
again,  and  there  were  but  two  sharks  to  be  seen.  About 
noon  the  other  white  man  died,  and  he  was  thrown  over- 
board ;  and  as  one  shark  seized  his  body  and  swam  away, 
old  Etau  cried  out,  •  Two  ! '  An  hour  afterwards  the  negro 
died,  and  was  thrown  overboard  and  carried  away  by  the 
third  shark,  and  old  Etau  cried  out,  *  Three !  the  price 
is  paid  ! ' 

"Well,  everyone  crowded  round  the  old  woman  to 
hear  what  she  would  say,  and  they  asked  her  if  all  was 
over,  and  whether  they  should  have  any  wind  ?  and  her 
reply  was — '  When  the  three  birds  come  from  the  sea  to 
replace  those  which  were  killed.'  For  you  see,  pilot,  if 
one  of  these  birds  are  killed,  it  is  certain  that  some  one  of 
the  crew  must  die  and  be  thrown  overboard  to  become  a 
Mother  Carey  chicken,  and  replace  the  one  that  has  been 
destroyed.  Well,  after  a  time,  although  we  never  saw 
them  rise,  three  Mother  Carey's  chickens  were  seen 
dipping  and  flying  about  astern  of  the  schooner ;  and  they 
told  old  Etau,  who  said,  *  You'll  have  wind  and  plenty — 
and  plenty  of  waves  to  make  up  for  the  calm  ; '  and  so  they 
had,  sure  enough,  for  it  came  on  almost  a  hurricane,  and 
the  schooner  scudded  before  it  under  bare  poles  until  she 
arrived  at  Antigua,  with  her  bulwarks  washed  away,  and 


312  Poor  Jack 

a  complete  wreck.  I  was  there  at  the  time,  and  old 
Mason,  who  was  on  board,  told  me  the  story,  and  asked 
me  to  take  him,  as  he  would  not  remain  on  board  of  the 
schooner.  And  now  I  leave  you  to  judge,  after  knowing 
this  to  be  a  fact,  whether  I  was  not  right  in  preventing 
Mr  Higgins  from  shooting  the  Mother  Carey  chickens  ? " 

"Why,  yes,"  replied  I;  "with  such  2i  fact  before  my 
eyes,  I  should  have  done  the  same." 

Mr  Higgins  not  venturing  to  kill  any  of  these  receptacles 
for  the  souls  of  departed  seamen,  we  arrived  safely  at  the 
Downs,  where  I  gave  up  charge  to  a  river  pilot,  for  the 
other  vessels  which  Bramble  and  our  companions  had 
taken  charge  of,  were  all  bound  to  the  Downs,  and 
arrived  at  nearly  the  same  time  that  I  did,  and  we  had 
agreed  to  embark  again  in  the  galley,  and  run  out  in  quest 
of  the  remainder  of  the  convoy.  This  we  did  on  the 
following  day,  much  to  the  vexation  of  Bessy,  who  declared 
we  only  came  on  shore  to  be  off  again.  I  ought  to  observe 
that  Bessy  and  I  had  become  much  more  intimate  since  the 
explanation  which  had  taken  place  ;  and  although  it  never 
entered  my  head  that  I  should  ever  feel  towards  her  more 
than  as  a  brother  to  a  sister,  I  was  pleased  and  soothed 
with  the  touching  proofs  of  kindness  and  commiseration 
which  she  took  every  opportunity  of  showing  towards  me 


Chapter  XLII 

A  heavy  gale,  a  vyreck  and  a  rescue. 

We  had  run  out  in  our  galley  as  far  as  the  Start,  when  the 
appearance  of  the  weather  became  very  threatening.  It 
was  just  about  the  time  of  the  equinoctial  gales  ;  and  there 
was  a  consultation  among  us  whether  we  should  run  into 
Torquay  or  return  to  Deal. 

Bramble  observed,  that  as  the  gale  coming  on  would,  in 
all  probability,  blow  for  three  days,  he  thought  it  was  no 


Poor  Jack  313 

use  remaining  all  that  time  at  Torquay,  where  we  should 
be  put  to  extra  expense,  and  that  we  should  be  better  on 
shore  at  our  own  homes.  This  remark  decided  the  point ; 
and  about  dusk  we  put  the  boat's  head  along  shore  for  up 
Channel.  The  wind  was  at  that  time  about  S.S.W.,  but 
occasionally  shifting  a  point  or  two.  The  sky  had  become 
covered  over  with  one  black  mass  of  clouds,  which  hung 
down  so  low  that  they  appeared  almost  to  rest  on  the 
water  ;  and  there  was  that  peculiar  fitful  moaning  which  is 
ever  the  precursor  of  a  violent  gale  of  wind.  At  night-fall 
we  reefed  our  lug  sails  ;  and,  while  one  sat  at  the  helm, 
the  rest  of  us  lounged  against  the  gunnel,  buttoned  up  in 
our  pilot-jackets ;  some  shutting  their  eyes,  as  if  to  invite 
sleep,  others  watching  the  waves,  which  now  rose  fast,  and 
danced  and  lopped  at  the  weather  broadside  as  if  they 
would  fain  have  entered  into  the  boat.  But  of  that  we  had 
little  fear  ;  our  galley  was  one  of  the  finest  boats  that  ever 
swam,  and  we  felt  as  secure  as  if  we  were  on  board  of  a 
three-decked  ship.  As  the  night  advanced,  so  did  the  wind 
increase  and  the  sea  rise ;  lightning  darted  through  the 
dense  clouds,  and  for  a  moment  we  could  scan  the  horizon. 
Everything  was  threatening ;  yet  our  boat,  with  the  wind 
about  two  points  free,  rushed  gallantly  along,  rising  on  the 
waves  like  a  sea-bird,  and  sinking  into  the  hollow  of  the 
waters  as  if  she  had  no  fear  of  any  attempt  on  their  part  to 
overwhelm  her.  Thus  did  we  continue  to  run  on  during 
the  night,  every  hour  the  gale  increasing  j  the  billows 
mounting  up  until  they  broke  in  awful  and  majestic  crests, 
and  often  so  near  to  us  that  we  presented  our  backs  in  a 
close  file  against  the  weather  bulwarks  to  prevent  any  body 
of  water  from  pouring  in. 

"  We  shall  have  light  soon,"  observed  one  of  the  men. 

**  And  we  shall  want  it  to  beach  the  boat  in  such 
weather  as  this,"  replied  another.  "  "We  shall  have  it 
harder  yet  before  day." 

*'  Depend  upon  it  this  will  be  a  mischievous  gale," 
observed  Bramble,  "  and  our  coast  will  be  strewed  with 
wrecks.       Any    ships   under   canvas   now,  between   the 


314  Poor  Jack 

Channel  shores,  will  stand  but  a  poor  chance  against  this 
heavy  sea,  which  bears  down  with  such  force.  I'd  rather 
be  in  this  boat  now  than  in  any  vessel  in  mid  Channel." 

"  And  I  had  rather  be  on  shore  than  in  eitl>er,"  re- 
joined I. 

"Well,  Tom,"  said  one  of  the  pilots,  "I  do  really 
believe  you  this  time." 

When  it  was  broad  daylight,  the  coast  to  leeward  pre- 
sented a  wild  and  terrific  scene,  lashed  as  it  was  by  the 
furious  surf  which  dashed  its  spray  half-way  up  the  tower- 
ing white  cliffs,  for  it  was  within  two  hours  of  high 
water.  The  waves  were  now  really  mountains  high,  and 
their  broad  surfaces  were  pitted  into  little  waves  by  the 
force  of  the  wind,  which  covered  the  whole  expanse  of 
waters  with  one  continued  foam.  On  our  weather-bow  a 
vessel  with  her  foremast  gone  was  pitching  heavily,  and  at 
times  nearly  buried  beneath  the  wild  tumult.  Her  fate 
was  sealed  ;  to  leeward  were  the  cliffs  of  the  South  Fore- 
land, and  on  our  lee-bow  lay  the  shelving  beach  of  Deal. 

"  This  will  be  awkward  landing,  shipmates,"  said 
Bramble ;  **  and  yet  we  must  try  it.  I'll  fill  my  pipe — 
hope  it  won't  be  the  last." 

Although  not  said  in  a  serious  manner,  there  were  few 
of  us  whose  hearts  did  not  flutter  responsively  to  this 
surmise,  for  the  danger  became  every  minute  more 
imminent,  and  we  knew  what  a  terrific  surf  there  must  be 
then  running  on  the  shingle  beach.  But  we  now  rapidly 
approached  the  shore  j  we  were  near  to  the  floating  light, 
and  in  the  roadstead  not  a  vessel  remained ;  all  had 
weighed  and  preferred  being  under  what  canvas  they 
could  bear.  At  last  we  were  within  two  cables'  length  of 
the  beach,  and  even  at  this  distance  from  it,  we  were 
surrounded  with  the  breakers ;  the  surf  broke  many 
feet  high,  and  roared  as  it  rushed  up  with  a  velocity  that 
was  appalling,  dashing  the  foam  right  to  the  door  of 
Bramble's  cottage,  which  was  forty  or  fifty  yards  higher 
than  it  generally  gained  to,  even  in  very  bad  weather  :  we 
now  lowered  our  sails,  stowed  them  in  the  boat,  and  got 


Poor  Jack  315 

our  oars  to  pass,  backing  against  the  surf  to  prevent 
it  from  forcing  us  on  the  beach  until  the  proper  time. 

It  may  not,  perhaps,  be  known  to  many  of  my  readers, 
that  there  is  a  sort  of  regularity  even  in  the  wild  waves ; 
that  is,  occasionally  a  master  wave,  as  it  is  termed,  from 
being  of  larger  dimensions  than  its  predecessors,  pours  its 
whole  volume  on  the  beach ;  after  which,  by  watching 
your  time,  you  will  find  that  two  waves  will  run  into  one 
another,  and,  as  it  were,  neutralise  each  other,  so  that,  for 
a  few  seconds,  you  have  what  they  call  a  smooth ;  the 
safest  plan  of  landing  then  is  to  watch  these  two  chances, 
either  to  run  in  on  the  master  wave,  or  to  wait  till  the 
arrival  of  the  smooth. 

The  latter  is  generally  preferred,  and  with  good  reason, 
as  unless  a  boat  can  be  forced  in  as  fast  as  the  master 
wave  runs  in,  you  are  worse  off  than  if  you  had  landed  at 
any  other  time. 

The  helm  had  been  resigned  to  Bramble,  who  ordered 
me  to  go  forward  with  the  boat's  painter,  a  long  coil 
of  rope,  and  stand  ready  either  to  leap  out  with  it,  or 
throw  it  to  those  on  shore,  as  might  be  most  advisable  j 
the  other  men  were  sitting  on  the  thwarts,  their  long  oars 
in  the  rollocks,  backing  out  as  desired,  and  all  ready 
to  strain-every  nerve,  when  the  order  was  given  by  Bramble 
to  pull  in. 

The  danger  which  we  were  about  to  incur  was  fully 
evident  to  the  crowds  which  were  assembled  on  the  beach  ; 
not  only  the  pilots,  who  stood  there  ready  to  assist  us — 
some  with  ropes  with  iron  hooks  at  the  end  of  them — 
others  all  ready  to  dart  into  the  surf  to  hold  on  the  boat, 
or,  if  required,  to  link  their  arms  together,  so  as  to  form 
a  living  chain  which  the  undertow  could  not  drag  away 
with  it  J  higher  up,  women  and  children,  their  clothes 
driven  by  the  furious  gale,  with  one  hand  holding  on  their 
caps,  and  with  the  other  supporting  themselves  by  the 
gunnels  of  the  boats  hauled  up,  the  capsterns,  or  perhaps 
an  anchor  with  its  fluke  buried  in  the  shingle,  were 
looking  on  with  dismay  and  with  beating  hearts,  awaiting 


3i6  Poor  Jack 

the  result  of  the  venturous  attempt,  and  I  soon  discovered 
the  form  of  Bessy,  who  was  in  advance  of  all  the  others. 

After  a  careful  watching  for  perhaps  two  minutes  on  the 
part  of  Bramble,  he  gave  the  word,  and  on  dashed  the 
galley  towards  the  strand,  keeping  pace  with  the  wild 
surges,  and  although  buried  in  the  foam,  not  shipping  one 
drop  of  water. 

"  Now,  my  men,  give  way, — for  your  lives  give  way," 
cried  Bramble,  as  a  cresting  wave  came  towering  on,  as  if 
in  angry  pursuit  of  us.  The  men  obeyed,  but,  in  their 
exertions,  the  stroke  oar  snapped  in  two,  the  man  fell  back, 
and  prevented  the  one  behind  him  from  pulling ;  our  fate 
was  sealed  j  the  surge  poured  over,  and  throwing  us 
broadside  to  the  beach,  we  were  rolled  over  and  over  in 
the  boiling  surf.  A  cry  was  heard — a  cry  of  terror  and 
despair — on  the  part  of  the  women.  I  heard  it  as  I  was 
swept  away  by  the  undertow,  and  the  next  wave  poured 
over  me ;  but  all  was  activity  and  energy  on  the  part  of  the 
men  who  were  on  the  beach  ;  the  next  wave  that  ran  in, 
they  recovered  me  and  two  more,  by  linking  their  arms  and 
allowing  the  surf  to  break  over  them.  We  were  so  much 
bruised  that  we  could  not  stand ;  they  dragged  us  up,  and 
left  us  to  the  women.  Bramble  and  four  others  were  still 
struggling  for  life ;  again  two  were  saved — but  the  men 
on  the  beach  were  exhausted  by  their  strenuous  exertions. 

I  had  just  recovered  myself  so  as  to  sit  up,  when  I  per- 
ceived that  they  were  not  acting  in  concert  as  before; 
indeed,  in  the  last  attempt,  several  of  them  had  narrowly 
escaped  with  their  own  lives.  Bessy  was  now  down 
among  them  wildly  gesticulating  :  Bramble  still  floated  on 
the  boiling  surf;  but  no  chain  was  again  formed;  the 
wave  poured  in  bearing  him  on  its  crest ;  it  broke,  and  he 
was  swept  away  again  by  the  undertow,  which  dragged 
him  back  with  a  confused  heap  of  shingles,  clattering  one 
over  the  other  as  they  descended.  I  saw  him  again,  just 
as  another  wave  several  feet  in  height  was  breaking  over 
him — I  felt  that  he  was  lost;  when  Bessy,  with  a  hook 
rope  in  her  hand,  darted  towards   him   right   under   the 


poor  Jack  317 

wave  as  it  turned  over,  and  as  she  clasped  his  body,  they 
both  disappeared  under  the  mountain  surge.  Another 
shriek  was  raised  by  the  women,  while  the  men  stood  as  if 
paralysed.  In  my  excitement  I  had  gained  my  legs,  and  I 
hastened  to  seize  the  part  of  the  rope  which  remained  on  the 
beach.  Others  then  came  and  helped ;  we  hauled  upon 
it ;  and  found  that  there  was  weight  at  the  end.  Another 
sea  poured  in ;  we  hastily  gathered  in  the  slack  of  the 
rope,  and  when  the  water  retreated,  we  found  both 
Bramble  and  Bessy  clinging  to  the  rope.  In  a  moment  the 
men  rushed  down  and  hauled  up  the  bodies.  Bramble  had 
hold  of  the  rope  by  both  hands — it  was  the  clutch  of 
death ;  Bessy  had  her  arms  round  her  father's  neck ;  both 
were  senseless.  The  boatmen  carried  them  up  to  the 
cottage,  and  the  usual  methods  of  recovery  were  resorted 
to  with  success.  Still  we  had  to  lament  the  death  of  two 
of  our  best  pilots,  whose  loss  their  wives  and  children 
were  loudly  wailing,  and  whose  bodies  were  not  found  for 
many  days  afterwards.  Alas !  they  were  not  the  only 
ones  who  were  lamented.  Upwards  of  three  hundred 
vessels  were  lost  during  that  dreadful  gale,  and  hardly 
a  sea-port  or  fishing  town  but  bewailed  its  many 
dead. 

Whether  it  was  that  the  women  who  attended  Bessy 
were  more  active  than  the  men,  or  that  she  was  younger, 
and  her  circulation  of  blood  was  more  rapid,  or  because  she 
was  a  female,  certain  it  is  that  Bessy  first  recovered  her 
speech,  and  her  first  question  was  "Where  was  her 
father  ? "  Bramble  did  not  speak,  but  fell  into  a  sleep 
immediately  after  he  was  brought  to  life.  I  had  changed 
my  clothes,  and  was  watching  by  him  for  an  hour  or  more 
when  he  woke  up. 

"  Ah  !  Tom,  is  that  you  ?     Where's  Bessy  ?  " 

"  She  is  in  bed,  but  quite  recovered." 

'*  Quite  recovered — I  recollect.  I  say,  Tom,  ain*t  she  a 
fine  creature .''  God  bless  her.  Well,  she  owes  me 
nothing  now  at  all  events.  I  think  I  should  like  to  get  up, 
Tom.     I  wonder  whether  I  smashed  my  old  pipe  on  the 


3i8  Poor  Jack 

shingle  ?  just  look  into  my  wet  jacket.  I  say,  Tom,  were 
they  all  saved  ? " 

"No,"  I  replied  J  "Fisher  and  Harrison  were  both 
drowned." 

"Poor  fellows!  I  wish  they  had  been  spared.  Fisher 
has  seven  children, — and  Harrison,  he  has  a  wife,  I  think." 

"  Yes,  and  two  children,  father." 

"  Poor  woman  !  God's  will  be  done  !  He  giveth  and 
He  taketh  away !     Tom,  I  must  get  up  and  see  Bessy." 

I  assisted  Bramble  to  dress,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  put 
on  his  clothes  he  went  to  Bessy's  room.  I  stayed  at  the 
door.  "  You  may  come  in,  Tom  j  she's  muffled  up  in  her 
blankets,  and  fast  asleep." 

"  Quite  fast,"  said  Mrs  Maddox ;  "  she  has  slept  more 
than  an  hour.     Dear  heart,  it  will  do  her  good." 

Bramble  kissed  Bessy's  pale  forehead,  but  it  did  not 
waken  her.  "  Look,  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  "  look  at  that 
smooth,  clear  skin — those  pretty  features.  Look  at  the 
delicate  creature !  and  would  you  have  thought  that  she 
would  have  dared  what  no  man  dared  to  do — that  she 
would  have  defied  those  elements  raging  in  their  might, 
and  have  snatched  their  prey  from  their  very  grasp  ?  Did 
I  ever  imagine,  when  I  brought  her  as  a  helpless  baby  on 
shore,  that  she  would  ever  have  repaid  the  debt  with  such 
interest,  or  that  such  a  weak  instrument  should  have  been 
chosen  by  the  Lord  to  save  one  who  otherwise  must  have 
perished  ?  But  His  ways  are  not  our  ways,  and  He  works 
as  He  thinks  fit.  Bless  you,  bless  you,  my  Bessy, — and 
may  your  fond  heart  never  be  again  put  to  such  a  trial ! 
Is  she  not  beautiful,  Tom  ?  just  like  a  piece  of  cold 
marble.     Thank  Heaven,  she  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth  !  " 

I  certainly  never  did  look  upon  Bessy  with  so  much 
interest ;  there  was  something  so  beautifully  calm  in  her 
countenance  as  she  lay  there  like  an  effigy  on  a  tomb, 
hardly  appearing  to  breathe  j  and  when  I  thought  of  the 
courage  and  devotion  shown  but  a  few  hours  before  by  the 
present  almost  inanimate  form,  I  bent  over  her  with  admir- 
ation, and  felt  as  if  I  could  kneel  before  the  beautiful  shrine 


Poor  Jack  319 

which  contained  such  an  energetic  and  noble  spirit.  While 
this  was  passing  through  my  mind,  Bramble  had  knelt  by 
the  bed-side  and  was  evidently  in  prayer :  when  he  rose  up 
he  said,  "  Come  away,  Tom ;  she  is  a  maiden,  and  may 
feel  ashamed  if  she  awaken  and  find  us  men  standing  by 
her  bed-side.  Let  me  know  when  she  wakes  up,  Mrs 
Maddox,  and  tell  her  I  have  been  in  to  see  her ;  and  now, 
Tom,  let's  go  down ; — I  never  felt  the  want  of  a  pipe  so 
much  as  I  do  now." 


Chapter  XLIII 

A  scene  in  the  Hospital,  and  a  strange  discovery. 

In  a  very  few  days  Bramble  and  Bessy  were  sufficiently 
recovered  to  resume  their  usual  avocations  ;  but  the  former 
expressed  no  willingness  to  embark  again,  and  Bessy's  per- 
suasions assisted  to  retain  him  at  the  cottage.  With  me  it 
was  different ;  I  was  still  restless  and  anxious  for  change  ; 
my  feelings  toward  Bessy  were  those  of  admiration  and 
esteem,  but  not  yet  of  love  ;  yet  I  could  not  help  recalling 
to  mind  the  words  of  Bramble,  **  Observe  how  she  performs 
those  duties  which  fall  to  her  lot ;  if  she  is  a  good  daughter 
she  will  make  a  good  wife."  I  felt  that  she  would  make  a 
good  wife ;  and  I  wished  that  I  could  have  torn  from  my 
bosom  the  remembrance  of  Janet,  and  have  substituted  the 
form  of  Bessy  in  her  place.  We  had  been  at  the  cottage 
nearly  a  week,  when  I  received  a  letter  from  Anderson  ;  he 
informed  me  that  he  had  visited  old  Nanny,  who  had  made 
her  will  in  due  form,  and  confided  it  to  him  ;  and  that  he 
thought  that  she  was  more  inclined  to  listen  to  him  than 
-she  had  before  been  ;  that  my  father,  and  mother,  and 
sister  were  well ;  and  that  Spicer  had  been  obliged  to  go 
into  the  hospital,  with  an  abscess  in  his  knee,  occasioned  by 
running  something  into  it  j  and  that  it  was  reported  that  he 
was  very  ill,  and,  in  all  probability,  amputation  must  take 
place.     I  felt  convinced  that  Spicer  must  have,  in  his  hasty 


32,0  Poor  Jack 

retreat,  fallen  over  the  iron  railings  which  lay  on  the 
ground,  and  which  had,  as  I  mentioned,  tripped  me  up ; 
but  with  this  difference,  that,  as  the  spikes  of  the  railing 
were  from  me,  and  consequently  I  met  with  little  injury, 
they  must  have  been  towards  him,  and  had  penetrated  his 
knee :  and  thus  it  was  that  he  had  received  the  injury: 
Anderson  also  stated  that  they  were  very  busy  at  the 
Hospital,  receiving  the  men  who  had  been  maimed  in  the 
glorious  battle  of  Trafalgar.  Altogether,  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  I  would  take  the  first  ship  that  was  offered  for 
pilotage  up  the  river,  that  I  might  know  more  of  what  was 
going  on ;  and,  as  we  sat  down  to  supper,  I  mentioned  my 
intentions  to  Bramble. 

'*  All's  right,  Tom,  you're  young,  and  ought  to  be 
moving ;  but,  just  now,  I  intend  to  take  a  spell  on  shore. 
I  have  promised  Bessy,  and  how  can  I  refuse  her  any- 
thing, dear  girl !  I  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  shall  never 
pilot  a  vessel  again  j  but  I  do  feel  that  I  am  not  so  young 
as  I  was,  and  this  last  affair  has  shaken  me  not  a  little, 
that's  the  truth  of  it.  There's  a  time  for  all  things  j  and 
when  a  man  has  enough  he  ought  to  be  content,  and  not 
venture  more.  Besides,  I  can't  bear  to  make  Bessy  un- 
happy ;  so,  you  see,  I've  half  promised — only  half,  Bessy, 
you  know." 

"  I  think  you  would  have  done  right  if  you  had  promised 
altogether,"  replied  I ;  "  you  have  plenty  to  live  upon, 
and  are  now  getting  a  little  in  years.  Why  should  you 
not  stay  on  shore,  and  leave  them  to  work  who  want 
the  money  ? " 

Bessy's  eyes  beamed  gratefully  towards  me,  as  I  thus 
assisted  her  wishes.  **  You  hear,  father,"  said  she, 
fondling  him,  "Tom  agrees  with  me." 

**  Ah  !  "  replied  Bramble,   with  a  sigh,   **  if ;   but 

we  cannot  have  all  we  wish  in  this  world." 

Bessy  and  I  both  felt  what  he  would  have  referred  to, 
and  we  were  silent.  She  cast  down  her  eyes,  and  appeared 
busy  with  her  fork,  although  she  was  eating  nothing. 
I  no  longer  felt  the  repugnance  that  I  had  a  short  time 


Poor  Jack  321 

before ;  and  I  was  in  deep  reverie,  watching  the  changes 
of  her  beautiful  countenance,  when  she  looked  up.  Our 
eyes  metj  she  must  have  read  my  thoughts  in  mine,  for 
from  that  moment  each  hour  increased  our  intimacy  and 
confidence.     We  were  no  longer  afraid  of  each  other. 

A  day  or  two  after  this  conversation  an  opportunity  was 
given  to  me  of  going  up  the  river,  which  I  did  not  neglect ; 
and  having  delivered  up  charge  of  the  ship,  I  hastened 
down  to  Greenwich.  I  found  everything  in  statu  quo  at 
my  mother's  house,  and  Virginia  much  pleased  at  there 
being  no  lodgers.  Anderson  I  met  walking  with  Ben 
the  Whaler  and  my  father.  He  told  me  that  Spicer  had 
refused  to  have  his  leg  amputated,  when  the  surgeon  had 
pointed  out  the  necessity  of  the  operation ;  and  that  it 
was  now  said  that  it  was  too  late  to  have  the  operation 
performed ;  and  that  there  was  little  or  no  chance  of  his 
recovery.  They  asked  me  many  questions  relative  to  the 
narrow  escape  of  Bramble,  and  the  behaviour  of  Bessy. 

As  soon  as  I  could  get  away,  I  set  oiF  to  the  Hospital 
to  see  Spicer;  for,  as  the  reader  must  be  aware,  I  had 
many  reasons  for  having  communication  with  him; — not 
that  I  expected  that  at  first  he  would  acknowledge  any- 
thing ;  I  knew  that  his  heart  was  hardened,  and  that  he 
had  no  idea  of  his  danger ;  but  I  had  his  secrets, — he  was 
indeed  in  my  power ;  and  I  hoped,  by  terrifying  him,  to 
obtain  the  information  which  I  wished. 

I  found  him  in  bed,  in  the  corner  of  the  Hospital  ward, 
to  the  left.  He  was  looking  very  pale,  and  apparently 
was  in  great  pain. 

"Spicer,"  said  I,  "I  have  come  to  see  you  ;  I  am  sorry 
to  hear  of  your  accident.     How  is  your  leg  ?  is  it  better  ?  " 

" No,  not  much,"  replied  he,  writhing,  "I  am  in  great 
pain ;  another  man  would  scream  out  with  the  agony ; 
but  I'm  like  the  wolf, — I'll  die  without  complaint." 

"  But  you  don't  think  that  you're  going  to  die,  Spicer  ?" 

"No,  Jack,  I  don't  think  that,  I  never  have  thought 
that,  when  I  have  been  worse  than  now.  I'll  never  believe 
that  I'm  dead  until  I  find  myself  so.     It  must  come  some 

P.J.  X 


322  Poor  Jack 

time  or  another,  but  I'm  hale  and  hearty  in  constitution 
as  yet,  and  my  time  is  not  yet  come." 

"It  was  the  iron  railings  which  you  fell  over,  was  it 
not  ?  I  fell  over  them  myself  the  same  night  when  I 
landed,  on  the  Monday,  going  up  to  old  Nanny's." 

"  Who  told  you  it  was  those  cursed  spikes  ?  Well, 
well,  so  it  was ;  but  not  on  the  Monday,  Jack,  it  was  on 
the  Wednesday." 

"Nay,  that  cannot  be  ;  for,  on  the  Tuesday,  as  I  went 
down  to  the  beach,  I  saw  them  all  fixed  up  in  the  stone- 
work, and  soldered  in.  It  must  have  been  on  the  Monday 
— the  night  on  which  old  Nanny  was  nearly  smothered 
by  someone  who  went  in  to  rob  her.  I  came  there  just 
in  time  to  save  her  life ; — indeed,  if  you  recollect,  you 
were  lame  the  next  day,  when  I  met  you  in  the  Hospital." 

"  Well,  Jack,  you  may  think  what  you  please  ;  but  I 
tell  you  it  was  on  the  Wednesday." 

"  Then  you  must  have  fallen  over  something  else." 

"  Perhaps  I  did." 

"  Well,  it's  of  no  consequence.  I'm  glad  to  find  that 
you're  so  much  better  ;  for  I  was  told  that  the  doctor  had 
said " 

"What  did  the  doctor  say  ?"  interrupted  Spicer. 

"Why,  it's  better  to  tell  the  truth;  he  said  it  was 
impossible  for  you  to  get  over  it — that  the  inflammation 
was  too  great  to  allow  of  amputation  now,  and  that  it 
must  end  in  mortification." 

"  He  said  that ! "  said  Spicer,  wildly,  raising  himself 
on  his  elbow. 

"  Yes,  he  did ;  and  it's  known  all  over  the  Hospital." 

"  Well,"  replied  Spicer,  "  he  may  have  said  so ;  but  I 
think  I  ought  to  know  best  how  I  feel.  He'll  be  here 
in  half  an  hour  or  so,  and  then  I'll  put  the  question  to 
him.  I'm  a  little  tired.  Jack,  so  don't  speak  to  me  any 
more  just  now." 

"  Shall  I  go  away,  Spicer  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  stay  here.  There's  a  book  or  two ;  read 
them  till  I  feel  a  little  stronger." 


Poor  Jack  323 

That  my  communication  had  had  an  effect  upon  Spicer 
"was  evident.  He  was  startled  at  the  idea  of  the  near 
approach  of  death,  which  he  had  not  contemplated. 
Alas !  who  is  not  ?  He  shut  his  eyes,  and  I  watched 
him  :  the  perspiration  trickled  down  his  forehead.  I  took 
up  the  book  he  had  pointed  out  to  me ;  it  was  the 
History  of  the  Buccaneers,  with  plates ;  and  I  thought 
then  that  it  was  a  parallel  of  Spicer 's  own  career.  I 
looked  at  the  plates,  for  I  was  not  much  inclined  to  read. 
In  a  few  minutes  Spicer  opened  his  eyes.  "  I  am  better 
now.  Jack,  the  faintness  has  passed  away.  What  book 
is  that  ?  —  oh,  the  Buccaneers.  That  and  Dampier's 
Voyages  were  the  only  two  books  of  my  father's  library 
that  I  ever  thought  worth  reading.    Have  you  ever  read  it  ? " 

"No,"  replied  I,  "I  never  have.  Will  you  lend  it 
to  me  ?  " 

**  Yes  i  I'll  give  it  to  you.  Jack,  if  you  like." 

*'  Thank  you.  Was  your  father  a  sailor,  Spicer,  as 
well  as  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Jack,  a  sailor  every  inch  of  him." 

"  Did  you  ever  sail  with  him  ? " 

"  No,  he  died  about  the  time  that  I  was  born." 

Here  the  doctor,  who  was  going  round  the  wards,  came 
up  to  Spicer,  and  asked  him  how  he  felt.  "Pretty  well. 
Doctor,"  said  he. 

**  Come,  we  must  look  at  your  leg,  my  man ;  it  will 
require  dressing.     Is  it  very  painful  ?  " 

"Why,  yes,  sir:  it  has  been  very  painful,  indeed,  all 
night." 

The  Hospital  mates  unbandaged  Spicer's  leg,  and  took 
off  the  poultices ;  and  I  was  horrified  when  I  saw  the 
state  which  his  leg  was  in — one  mass  of  ulceration  from 
the  middle  of  the  thigh  down  to  half  way  below  his  knee, 
and  his  ankle  and  foot  swelled  twice  their  size ;  a  similar 
inflammation  extending  up  to  his  hip.  The  doctor  com- 
pressed his  lips,  and  looked  very  grave.  He  removed 
some  pieces  of  flesh,  it  was  then  cleaned,  and  fresh 
poultices  put  on. 


324  Poor  Jack 

"Doctor,"  said  Spicer,  who  had  watched  his 
countenance,  "  they  say  in  the  Hospital  that  you  have 
stated  that  I  cannot  live.  Now,  I  should  wish  to  know 
your  opinion  myself  on  this  subject,  as  I  believe  I  am  the 
most  interested  party." 

"  Why,  my  man,"  said  the  doctor,  "  you  certainly  are 
in  great  danger;  and  if  you  have  any  affairs  to  settle, 
perhaps  it  will  be  prudent  so  to  do." 

"  That's  a  quiet  way  of  saying  there  is  no  hope  for  me  ; 
is  it  not,  doctor  ?  "  replied  Spicer. 

"  I  fear,  my  good  man,  there  is  very  little." 

"  Tell  me  plainly,  sir,  if  you  please,"  replied  Spicer ; 
"is  there  any?" 

"  I  am  afraid  that  there  is  not,  my  good  man ;  it's 
unpleasant  to  say  so  ;  but  perhaps  it  is  kindness  to  tell 
the  truth." 

"  Well,  sir,  that  is  honest.  May  I  ask  you  how  long  I 
may  expect  to  live  ?  " 

"  That  will  depend  upon  when  the  mortification  takes 
place — about  three  days  ;  after  that,  my  poor  fellow,  you 
will  probably  be  no  more.  Would  you  like  the  chaplain  to 
come  and  see  you  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,  sir  ;  when  I  do  I'll  send  for  him." 

The  doctor  and  the  attendants  went  away  to  the  other 
patients.     I  was  silent.     At  last  Spicer  spoke. 

"  Well,  Jack,  you  were  right ;  so  it  is  all  over  with  me 
Somehow  or  another,  although  I  bore  up  against  it,  I  had 
an  inkling  of  it  myself,  the  pain  has  been  so  dreadful. 
Well,  we  can  die  but  once,  and  I  shall  die  game." 

"  Spicer,"  said  I,  "  that  you  will  die  without  fear  I  know 
very  well ;  but,  still,  you  know  that  you  should  not  die 
without  feeling  sorry  for  the  sins  you  have  committed,  and 
praying  for  pardon.  We  have  all  of  us,  the  very  best  of 
us,  to  make  our  peace  with  Heaven  ;  so,  had  I  not  better 
tell  the  chaplain  to  come  and  talk  with  you  ? " 

"  No,  Jack,  no  j  I  want  no  parsons  praying  by  my  side. 
What's  done  is  done,  and  can't  be  undone.  Go  now,  Jack, 
I  wish  to  get  a  little  sleep." 


Poor  Jack  325 

"Shall  I  come  and  see  you  to-morrow,  Spicer  ?  " 

"  Yes,  come  when  you  will ;  I  like  to  have  some  one  to 
talk  to ;  it  keeps  me  from  thinking." 

I  wished  him  good  day,  and  went  away  with  the  book 
in  my  hand.  Before  I  went  home  I  sought  out  old 
Anderson,  and  told  him  what  had  passed.  "  He  will  not 
see  the  chaplain,  Anderson,  but,  perhaps,  he  will  see  you ; 
and,  by  degrees,  you  can  bring  him  to  the  subject.  It  is 
dreadful  that  a  man  should  die  in  that  way." 

"  Alas  for  the  pride  of  us  wretched  worms,"  ejaculated 
Anderson;  "he  talks  of  dying  game, — that  is  to  say,  he 
defies  his  Maker.  Yes,  Jack,  I  will  go  and  see  him ;  and 
happy  I  am  that  he  has  a  few  days  to  live.  I  will  see  him 
to-night ;  but  will  not  say  much  to  him,  or  he  might  refuse 
my  coming  again." 

I  went  home.  I  was  not  in  a  very  gay  humour,  for  the 
sight  of  Spicer's  leg,  and  the  announcement  of  his  situation 
had  made  a  deep  impression  upon  me.  I  sat  down  to  read 
the  book  which  Spicer  had  made  me  a  present  of.  I  was 
interrupted  by  my  mother  requesting  me  to  go  a  message 
for  her,  and  during  my  absence  Virginia  had  taken  up  the 
book. 

"  Who  lent  you  this  book,  Tom  ?  "  said  she,  when  I  re- 
turned. 

"  Spicer — the  man  whom  they  call  Black  Sam,  who  is  nov/ 
dying  in  the  Hospital." 

"Well,  that's  not  the  name  on  the  title-page — it  is 
Walter  James,  Tynemouth." 

"  Waiter  James,  did  you  say,  dear  ?  Let  me  look ! 
Even  so." 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter,  Tom  ? "  said  my  sister  ;  "  you 
look  as  if  you  were  puzzled." 

And  indeed  I  do  not  doubt  but  I  did ;  for  it  at  once  re- 
called to  my  mind  that  old  Nanny's  married  name  was 
James,  and  that  Spicer  had  said  that  his  father  was  a  sailor, 
and  that  he  had  died  at  the  time  that  he  was  born,  which 
agreed  with  the  narrative  of  old  Nanny.  The  conclusions 
■which  I  came  to  in  a  moment  made  me  shudder. 


^26  Poor  Jack 

"  Well,  my  dear,  I  was  surprised,  if  not  frightened  ;  but 
you  don't  know  why,  nor  can  I  tell  you ;  for  it's  not  my 
secret.     Let  me  look  at  the  book  again  ? " 

Here  my  father  came  in,  and  the  conversation  took  a 
different  turn,  which  I  was  not  sorry  for.  I  wished,  how- 
ever, to  be  left  to  my  own  reflections  j  so  I  soon  afterwards 
took  up  my  candle,  and  retired  to  my  room. 

I  turned  the  subject  over  in  my  mind  in  a  hundred  ways, 
but  could  not  come  to  any  conclusion  as  to  the  best  method 
of  proceeding.  At  last  I  thought  I  would  see  Peter 
Anderson  the  next  day,  and  take  his  advice.  I  was  out 
immediately  after  breakfast ;  but  I  could  not  find  Anderson, 
so  I  walked  to  the  Hospital  to  see  Spicer.  I  found 
Anderson  sitting  by  his  bedside,  but  they  were  not  then 
conversing.  After  a  short  time  Anderson  rose,  and  giving 
a  slight  shake  of  the  head,  as  if  to  inform  me  that  he 
had  had  no  success,  he  walked  away. 

"  He  has  been  trying  to  convert  me,"  said  Spicer,  with 
a  grim  smile. 

"  He  has  been  trying,  Spicer,  to  bring  you  to  a  sense  of 
your  condition ;  and  is  he  not  kind  ?  he  can  have  no 
interest  but  your  own  good.  Do  you  think  that  no  one 
knows  the  sins  you  have  committed  except  yourself? — 
there  is  one  eye  which  sees  all." 

"Come,  Jack,  no  preaching." 

*'  Spicer,  you  are  here  under  a  false  name,  and  you  think 
no  one  knows  anything  about  you  ;  but  everything  has 
been  discovered  by  me ;  and  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  it 
has  been  made  known  providentially,  and  for  your 
good." 

"  Ah  !  "  replied  Spicer,  "  and  pray  what  do  you  know  ? 
Perhaps  you  can  tell  me  all  the  sins  I  have  committed." 

"  No,  Spicer,  but  perhaps  I  can  tell  you  of  sins  which 
you  yourself  are  not  aware  of;  but  first  answer  me — ^you 
know  that  you  cannot  live  long,  Spicer  ;  will  you  acknow- 
ledge that  what  I  state  is  correct,  should  it  really  be  so  ? " 

"  I  give  you  my  word,  that  if  you  tell  me  anything 
about  me  which  is  true,  that  I  will  acknowledge  it;  so 


Poor  Jack  327 

now,  Mr  Fortune-teller,  here's  my  hand — it  may  be  useful, 
you  know,  in  helping  your  discovery." 

**  I  do  not  want  your  hand,  Spicer ; — now  hear  me.  Is 
not  your  name  James  ? — and  were  you  not  born  at  Tyne- 
mouth  ? " 

Spicer  started.  "  How  did  you  find  that  out  ?  Well, 
Tom,  it  is  so,  and  what  then  ? " 

"  As  you  told  me  yourself,  although  I  knew  it  before, 
your  father  was  lost  at  sea,  about  the  time  that  you  were 
born.  Spicer,  I  know  how  you  left  your  mother,  and  how 
you  returned  from  you  know  where — how  you  robbed  her 
of  every  farthing,  and  left  her  again  destitute  and  in  misery. 
Is  there  nothing  to  repent  of  in  that,  Spicer  ? " 

"  Who  the  devil " 

*'  Nay,  Spicer,  the  devil  has  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
discovery." 

"  Strange,  strange  indeed,"  muttered  Spicer  ;  "  but  still, 
it  is  true." 

"  Spicer,  you  know  best  how  your  life  was  passed  from 
that  time  until  you  came  into  the  Hospital :  but  it  was  to 
be  hoped,  that  when  laid  up  to  rest  in  this  haven,  after 
such  a  stormy  life,  that  you  would  have  amended  your 
life  ;  but  what  have  you  done  ?  " 

"  And  what  have  I  done  ?  " 

*'  What  would  have  brought  you  to  the  gallows,  if  I  had 
not  held  my  tongue.  You  attempted  to  murder  the  old 
woman  to  obtain  her  money,  and  in  escaping,  you  received 
the  wound  which  soon  will  bring  you  to  your  grave." 

"What  proofs?" 

"  Every  proof,  your  stump  struck  me  in  the  face  when 
you  rushed  out — the  button  was  ofF  your  coat  the  next 
morning  when  I  met  you — I  had  every  proof,  and  had  I 
chosen,  would  have  sworn  on  the  Bible,  to  your  having 
been  the  party." 

"  Well,  I'll  not  deny  it — why  should  I,  when  I  cannot 
be  taken  out  of  this  bed  to  be  tried,  even  if  you  wished  ? 
Have  you  more  to  say  ? " 

*'  Yes,  more." 


328  Poor  Jack 

"I  doubt  it." 

**  Then  hear  me : — the  poor  woman  whom  you  would 
have  murdered,  whom  I  found  at  her  last  gasp,  and  with 
difficulty  restored  to  consciousness,  that  poor  woman, 
Spicer,  is  your  own  mother  !  " 

**  God  of  Heaven  !  "  exclaimed  he,  covering  his  face. 

"  Yes,  Spicer,  your  fond  indulgent  mother,  who  thinks 
that  you  suffered  the  penalty  of  the  law  many  years  ago  ; 
and  whose  energies  have  been  crushed  by  the  supposed 
unhappy  fate  of  her  still  loved  and  lamented  son.  Spicer, 
this  is  all  true,  and  have  you  now  nothing  to  repent  of  ?  " 

**I  thought  her  dead,  long  dead.  God,  I  thank  thee 
that  I  did  not  the  deed ;  and.  Jack,  I  am  really  grateful 
to  you  for  having  prevented  it.  Poor  old  woman  ! — yes, 
she  did  love  me,  and  how  cruelly  I  treated  her ! — And  she 
is  then  still  alive,  and  thinks  that  I  was  hanged — yes,  I 
recollect  now,  she  must  think  so.  Oh !  my  brain,  my 
brain !  " 

"  Spicer,  I  must  leave  you  now." 

"  Don't  leave  me.  Jack — yes  do,  come  to-morrow 
morning." 

"  Spicer,  will  you  do  me  a  favour  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Will  you  see  Anderson,  and  talk  with  him  ?  " 

'*  Yes,  if  you  wish  it  j  but  not  now :  this  evening  I  will, 
if  he'll  come." 

I  left  Spicer,  well  satisfied  with  what  had  passed,  and 
hastened  to  Anderson,  to  communicate  it  to  him. 

**  A  strange  and  providential  discovery,  Tom,  indeed," 
said  he,  "  and  good  use  it  appears  to  me  you  have  made  of 
it :  his  heart  is  softened,  that  is  evident  j  I  will  certamly 
go  to  him  this  evening." 


Poor  Jack  329 

Chapter    XLIV 

Spicer  discloses  strange  matters. 

The  next  day,  when  I  called  to  see  Spicer,  I  found  him  in 
great  pain.  Anderson  had  been  with  him,  but  he  had  been 
in  such  agony  that  he  found  it  almost  impossible  to  con- 
verse with  him.  Spicer  did  not  like  that  I  should  leave 
him,  although  he  could  not  talk,  and  I  therefore  remained 
by  his  bedside,  occasionally  assisting  him  to  move  from  one 
position  to  another,  or  to  take  the  drink  that  was  by  his 
bedside.  Towards  the  evening  he  became  more  easy,  and 
went  to  sleep  r  I  left  him,  therefore,  till  the  next  day.  As 
I  supposed,  the  mortification  had  commenced,  for  the  doctor 
told  him  so  the  next  morning,  when  he  visited  him,  and  the 
chaplain  pointed  out  to  him  that  all  hopes  of  living  were 
now  over.  Spicer  heard  the  communication  unmoved.  Ho 
asked  the  doctor  how  long  he  might  live,  and  his  reply 
was,  it  was  possible  four  or  five  days,  and  that  he  would 
feel  no  more  pain.  He  was  now  able  to  listen  to  Anderson, 
and  he  did  so.  I  shall  not  trouble  the  reader  with  repeat- 
ing what  Anderson  imparted  to  me,  as  I  can  give  him  an 
idea  of  Spicer's  feelings  by  what  passed  between  us. 

**  Tom,"  said  he,  "  I  have  led  a  very  wicked  life,  so 
wicked,  that  I  hate  to  think  of  it,  and  I  hate  myself.  I 
believe  all  that  Anderson  and  the  chaplain  tell  me,  and  I 
find  that  I  may  hope  and  do  hope  for  mercy ;  but  I  can't 
cry  or  wail  or  tear  my  hair.  The  fact  is,  Tom,  I  can't  feel 
afraid  :  if  I  am  pardoned,  and  I  do  scarcely  expect  it,  I 
shall  be  all  gratitude,  as  well  I  may.  Should  I  be  con- 
demned, I  shall  acknowledge  my  punishment  just,  and  not 
complain,  for  I  have  deserved  all ;  but  I  cannot  feel  fear  : 
I  believe  I  ought ;  but  it  is  not  in  my  nature,  I  suppose." 

"  But  you  do  not  feel  anything  like  defiance,  Spicer  ?  " 

**  No,  God  forbid  !  no,  nothing  like  that,  but  my  spirit 
cannot  quail." 

He  was  very  anxious  for  the  chaplain,  the  two  last  days 


^^o  Poor  Jack 

of  his  life,  and  I  really  believe  was  sincere  in  his  repent- 
ance J  but  before  I  wind  up  his  history,  I  will  narrate  to 
the  reader  those  portions  of  his  life  which  are  unknown, 
and  which  are  necessary  to  the  explanation  of  other 
matters. 

He  told  me  that  when  he  first  went  to  sea,  he  had 
joined  a  vessel  employed  in  the  slave  trade,  that  he  had 
left  it  at  Gambia,  and  shipped  on  board  of  a  vessel  which 
was  about  to  cruise  on  the  Spanish  Main.  He  was  some 
time  in  her,  and  had  been  appointed  second  officer,  when 
he  resolved  to  fit  out  a  vessel  and  cruise  for  himself.  He 
had  therefore  quitted  the  vessel  at  Surinam,  and  worked 
his  passage  home  in  a  sugar  ship. 

It  was  on  his  return  home  this  time,  that,  as  old  Nanny 
had  told  me,  he  had  taken  to  gaming,  and  eventually  had 
robbed  his  mother.  With  the  j^2ooo  in  his  pocket,  he  had 
repaired  to  Liverpool,  where  he  fell  in  with  Fitzgerald,  a 
young  man  who  had  served  as  first  mate  in  the  vessel  in 
which  they  had  cruised  on  the  Spanish  Main,  and  to  him  he 
had  proposed  to  join  him  as  first  officer,  in  the  vessel  which 
he  was  about  to  fit  out.  It  appeared  that  this  young  man 
had  but  a  few  days  returned  from  Ireland,  where  he  had 
married  a  young  woman,  to  whom  he  had  been  some  time 
attached,  and  that  his  disinclination  to  leave  his  young  wife 
made  him  at  first  refuse  the  offer  made  by  Spicer.  Spicer, 
however,  who  was  aware  of  his  value,  would  not  lose  sight 
of  him,  and  contrived,  when  Fitzgerald  had  taken  too  much 
wine,  to  win  of  him  by  unfair  means  about  ^1500.  Spicer 
then  offered  Fitzgerald  a  release  from  the  debt  provided  he 
would  sail  with  him ;  and  he  exacted  as  a  farther  condition 
that  he  should  not  return,  and  take  a  farewell  of  his  wife. 
To  these  harsh  terms,  Fitzgerald  being  without  means  of 
liquidating  the  debt,  consented,  and  they  sailed  accordingly. 
'*  And  now.  Jack,  I  will  tell  you  why  I  was  so  curious 
about  that  spy-glass.  I  knew  the  moment  that  I  saw  it  in 
your  hands  that  it  was  one  that  belonged  to  Fitzgerald, 
when  we  were  on  our  first  cruise  together.  It  was  the 
best  glass  I  ever  met  with.     When  we  left  Liverpool  this 


Poor  Jack  331 

time,  I  asked  him  for  the  spy-glass,  and  he  told  me  that 
expecting  to  return  to  his  wife  before  he  sailed,  he  had  left 
it  at  home.  How  it  came  into  the  lady's  hands  I  can't  tell." 
**  I  never  said  that  Lady  Hercules  gave  it  to  me,  replied  I, 
although  I  did  not  undeceive  you  when  you  thought  so. 
The  fact  is,  it  was  given  me  by  a  very  pretty  young  Irish 
widow."  **  Then,  Jack,  I  should  not  wonder  if  she  was 
not  the  wife  of  Fitzgerald,  whom  I  have  been  talking 
about ;  but  that  I  leave  to  you.  Let  me  finish  my  story. 
When  we  arrived  on  the  Spanish  coast  I  had  as  fine  a  crew 
with  me  as  ever  were  on  board  of  a  vessel ;  but  I  had  long 
made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  hoist  the  black  flag.  Yes, 
Jack,  it  is  but  too  true.  But  when  I  proposed  it,  Fitz- 
gerald declared  that  the  first  act  of  piracy  that  was 
committed  he  would  leave  the  vessel.  I  tried  all  I  could 
to  persuade  him,  but  in  vain.  However,  we  did  take  an 
English  vessel,  and  plundered  her.  Upon  this  Fitzgerald 
protested,  and  half  the  crew,  at  least,  joined  him.  I 
threatened  the  men  to  shoot  them  through  the  head ;  but 
they  were  resolute ;  and,  being  rather  the  stronger  party, 
I  dared  not  make  any  attempt.  They  insisted  upon  leaving 
the  vessel ;  and  I,  not  being  able  to  help  it,  landed  them  all 
in  the  Bay  of  Honduras,  where  I  thought  it  very  possible 
they  would  be  taken  by  the  Spaniards,  and  imprisoned,  if 
not  hanged.  They  were  imprisoned ;  but,  after  some  time, 
they  were  released.  The  desertion  of  Fitzgerald  and  the 
other  men  left  me  with  my  vessel  half  manned ;  and  I  vowed 
vengeance  against  him  if  ever  I  had  an  opportunity.  I  now 
cruised  as  a  pirate,  and  was  very  successful,  and  my  name 
was  a  terror  to  those  seas.  A  high  reward  was  offered  for 
me,  dead  or  alive,  which  pleased  me  much,  and  I  became 
more  murderous  than  ever.  Jack,  all  this  rises  up  in  judg- 
ment against  me  now ;  and  I  recollect  every  single  life 
taken  away  by  me,  or  by  my  orders,  as  well  as  if  I  had 
noted  them  down  in  a  book.  May  God  forgive  me !  " 
continued  Spicer,  covering  his  eyes  up  for  a  time. 

After  a  pause  he  continued,  **  I  had  ordered  a  vessel  with 
a  valuable  cargo  to  be  taken  on  a  rendezvous  we  had  in  the 


^^2  Poor  Jack 

Caicos ;  but  it  was  recaptured  and  taken  into  Port  Royal, 
Jamaica.  As  the  proofs  of  the  piracy  were  well  established, 
the  men  on  board  were  thrown  into  prison  to  take  their 
trial.  I  heard  of  this,  for  I  was  often  on  shore  in  disguise 
in  one  island  or  another,  and  a  scheme  entered  my  head 
which  I  thought  would  benefit  myself  and  wreak  my  venge- 
ance upon  Fitzgerald.  But  I  must  leave  off  now.  Here 
comes  the  chaplain ;  he  promised  to  talk  with  me  this 
evening,  and  you  see  that  I  have  changed  my  opinion  on 
that  point,  praised  be  God  for  it.  Good-night,  Jack,  come 
to-morrow." 


Chapter  XLV 

Spicer's  death. 

When  I  saw  Spicer  again  he  continued  his  narrative  : — 

"I  told  you  that  I  was  anxious  to  wreak  my  vengeance 
upon  Fitzgerald,  and  the  plan  which  I  hit  upon  was  as 
follows :  I  contrived  to  get  to  Port  Royal,  and  to  speak  to 
the  two  men  whom  I  had  been  on  the  best  terms  with.  I 
told  them  that  the  only  chance  of  escape  would  be  for  them 
to  give  their  names  as  those  of  James,  which  was  mine,  and  of 
Fitzgerald)  the  first  officer  j  and  I  explained  to  them  why ; 
— because  Fitzgerald  and  I  had  saved  the  life  of  the 
daughter  of  one  of  the  chief  planters,  who,  in  gratitude, 
had  promised  that  he  would  assist  us,  if  we  were  ever  in 
difficulty.  I  told  them  that  they  must  adhere  to  what  they 
said,  as  they  would  be  condemned  with  the  others ;  but 
that  a  reprieve  would  be  given  when  they  were  on  the 
scaffold." 

"  But  why  should  you  have  done  this  ? "  inquired  I. 
**  First,  because  I  wished  people  to  believe  that  I  was 
dead,  that  there  might  not  be  so  great  a  hue  and  cry  after 
me,  and  the  temptation  of  so  high  a  reward  ;  next,  because 
I  knew  that  Fitzgerald  was  still  in  prison :  and  that  his 
wife  would  read  the  account  of  his  execution  in  the  news- 


Poor  Jack  333 

papers,  which  I  hoped  would  break  her  heart,  and  so  make 
him  miserable." 

"  Oh,  Spicer,  that  was  too  cruel." 

"  It  was,  but  my  plan  succeeded.  The  men  gave  our 
names,  went  to  the  scaffold,  expecting  a  reprieve,  and  were 
hanged." 

"  And  thus  it  is  that  your  poor  mother  thinks  even  now 
that  you  were  hanged,"  said  I. 

"  Even  so,  Jack,  even  so.  Well,  after  a  time,  I  quitted 
my  vessel,  and  returned  to  England;  for  I  was  actually 
tired  of  bloodshed,  and  I  had  collected  a  great  deal  of 
money.  On  my  arrival  I  inquired  after  Fitzgerald.  It 
appeared  that  his  wife  had  heard  the  account  of  his 
execution ;  and,  as  her  bonnet  was  found  by  the  side  of 
the  mill  dam,  it  was  supposed  that  she  had  destroyed 
herself.  Fitzgerald  returned  home,  and  was  distracted  at 
the  intelligence.  I  have  always  thought  that  she  was  dead  j 
but,  by  what  you  say,  Jack,  I  now  doubt  it." 

**  And  Fitzgerald,  Spicer,  what  became  of  him  ?  " 

"  I  really  cannot  tell.  I  heard  that  he  had  entered  on 
board  of  a  king's  ship,  but  not  under  his  own  name :  how 
far  that  was  true  or  not,  I  cannot  say  j  but  I  have  every 
reason  to  believe  that  such  was  the  case." 

"  And  how  came  you  on  board  of  a  man-of-war  ?  " 

"  Why,  that's  soon  told.  I  spent  my  money,  or  lost  it 
all  in  gambling,  went  out  again,  obtained  command  of  a 
vessel,  and  did  well  for  some  time  j  but  I  was  more 
tyrannical  and  absolute  than  ever.  I  had  shot  five  or  six 
of  my  own  men  when  the  crew  mutinied,  and  put  me  and 
two  others  who  had  always  supported  me  in  an  open  boat, 
and  left  us  to  our  fate.  We  were  picked  up  by  a  frigate 
going  to  the  East  Indies  when  we  were  in  the  last  ex- 
tremity. And  now,  Jack,  I  believe  you  have  my  whole 
history.  I  am  tired  now,  and  must  go  to  sleep ;  but.  Jack, 
I  wish  you  to  come  to-morrow  morning,  for  I  have  some- 
thing to  say  to  you  of  great  importance.  Good-bye,  Jack; 
don't  forget." 

I  promised  Spicer  that  I  would  not  fail,  and  quitted  the 


334  Poor  Jack 

Hospital.  When  I  called  again  upon  him,  I  found  him 
very  low  and  weak — he  could  not  raise  himself  from  his 
pillow.  "  I  feel  that  I  am  going  now,  Jack,"  said  he — 
**  going  very  fast — I  have  not  many  hours  to  live,  but,  I 
thank  Heaven,  I  am  not  in  any  pain.  A  man  who  dies  in 
agony  cannot  examine  himself — cannot  survey  the  past  with 
calmness,  or  feel  convinced  of  the  greatness  of  his  offences. 
I  thank  God  for  that ;  but,  Jack,  although  I  have  com- 
mitted many  a  foul  and  execrable  murder,  for  which  I  am 
full  of  remorse — although  I  feel  how  detestable  has  been 
my  life — I  tell  you  candidly,  that,  although  those  crimes 
may  appear  to  others  more  heavy  than  the  simple  one  of 
theft,  to  me  the  one  that  lies  most  heavy  on  my  soul  is  the 
robbing  of  my  poor  mother,  and  my  whole  treatment  of 
her.  Jack,  will  you  do  one  favour  to  a  dying  man — and  it 
must  be  done  soon,  or  it  will  be  too  late.  Will  you  go  to 
my  poor  mother,  acquaint  her  with  my  being  here,  still 
alive,  and  that  my  hours  are  numbered,  and  beg  for  me 
forgiveness  ? — Obtain  that  for  me.  Jack — bring  that  to  me, 
and  so  may  you  receive  forgiveness  yourself !  " 

•'  I  will,  Spicer,"  replied  I ;  "I  will  go  directly  ;  and  I 
have  little  fear  but  that  I  shall  succeed." 

*'  Go  then.  Jack — don't  tarry,  for  my  time  is  nearly 
come." 

I  left  the  Hospital  immediately,  and  hastened  to  old 
Nanny's.  I  found  her  very  busy,  sorting  a  lot  of  old 
bottles,  which  she  had  just  purchased. 

"Well,  Jack,"  said  she,  "  you  are  just  come  in  time  to 
help  me.  1  was  just  a  saying  if  Jack  was  to  call  now,  he'd 
be  of  some  use,  for  I  can't  well  reach  so  high  as  the  shelf 
where  I  put  the  bottles  on,  and  when  I  get  on  a  stool  my 
old  head  swims." 

"  Mother,"  said  I,  "  suppose  you  put  down  the  bottles 
for  a  little  while,  as  I  have  that  to  say  to  you  which  must 
not  be  delayed." 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter,  boy  ? — and  how  pale  you 
look — what  has  happened  ?  You  don't  want  money,  do 
you  ?  " 


Poor  Jack  335 

**  No,  mother,  I  want  no  money — I  only  want  you  to 
listen  to  matters  important,  which  I  must  disclose  to  you." 

*'  "Well — well — what  is  it  ? — about  the  fellow  who  tried 
to  rob  me,  I  suppose.  I  told  you  before,  Jack,  I  won't 
hurt  him,  for  my  poor  boy's  sake." 

**  It  is  about  your  poor  boy  I  would  speak,  mother," 
replied  I,  hardly  knowing  how  to  begin.  *'  Now,  mother, 
did  you  not  tell  me  that  he  was  hanged  at  Port  Royal  ?  " 

"  Yes — yes — but  why  come  and  talk  about  it  again  ?  " 

"  Because,  mother,  you  seem  to  feel  the  disgrace  of  his 
being  hanged  so  much." 

**  Well,  to  be  sure  I  do — then  why  do  you  remind  me 
of  it,  you  bad  boy — it's  cruel  of  you,  Jack — I  thought  you 
kinder." 

**  Mother,  it  is  because  you  do  feel  it  so  much  that  I  have 
come  to  tell  you  that  you  have  been  deceived.  Your  son 
was  not  hanged." 

"  Not  hanged  !  Why,  Jack,  are  you  sure  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mother,  quite  sure." 

**  Not  hanged — quite  sure " 

Here  old  Nanny  burst  out  into  a  wild  laugh,  which 
ended  in  sobbing  and  tears.  I  was  obliged  to  wait  some 
minutes  before  she  was  composed  enough  to  listen  to  me : 
at  last  I  said,  *'  Mother,  I  have  more  to  say,  and  there  is 
no  time  to  be  lost." 

*'  Why  no  time  to  be  lost,  my  dear  boy  ? "  said  she. 
"  Oh  !  now  that  you  have  told  me  this,  I  could  dwell  for 
hours — ay,  days — more — I  shall  dwell  my  whole  life  upon 
this  kind  news." 

•*  But  listen  to  me,  mother,  for  I  must  tell  you  how  I 
discovered  this." 

*'  Yes,  yes,  Jack — do,  that's  a  good  boy.  I  am  quite 
<:alm  now,"  said  Nanny,  wiping  her  eyes  with  her  apron. 

I  then  acquainted  her  with  what  Spicer  had  told  me, 
relative  to  his  inducing  the  man  to  take  his  name  ;  and 
continued  the  history  of  Spicer's  life,  until  I  left  him  on 
board  of  a  man-of-war. 

*'  But  where  is  he  now  ?      And  who  told  you  all  this  ?  " 


2^6  Poor  Jack 

"  He  told  me  so  himself,"  replied  I.  "  He  has  been  in 
the  Hospital  some  time  ;  and  living  here  close  to  you, 
without  either  of  you  being  aware  of  it.  But,  mother,  he 
is  now  ill — very  ill  in  the  Hospital :  he  would  not  have 
confessed  all  this,  if  he  had  not  felt  how  ill  he  was." 

"Deary,  deary  me,"  replied  old  Nanny,  wringing  her 
hands  ;  "  I  must  go  see  him." 

**  Nay,  mother,  I  fear  you  cannot ;  the  fact  is,  that  he  is 
dying,  and  he  has  sent  me  to  ask  your  forgiveness  for  his 
conduct  to  you." 

"  Deary,  deary  me,"  continued  old  Nanny,  seemingly 
half  out  of  her  wits ;  "  in  the  Hospital — so  near  to  his 
poor  mother — and  dying — dear  Jemmy  !  " 

Then  the  old  woman  covered  up  her  face  with  her 
apron,  and  was  silent.  I  waited  a  minute  or  two,  and  then 
I  again  spoke  to  her. 

"  Will  you  not  answer  my  question,  mother  ?  Your 
son  has  but  an  hour,  perhaps,  to  live,  and  he  dies  penitent 
not  only  for  his  conduct  to  you,  but  for  his  lawless  and 
wicked  life  ;  but  he  feels  his  treatment  of  you  to  be  worse 
than  all  his  other  crimes  ;  and  he  has  sent  me  to  beg  that 
you  will  forgive  him  before  he  dies.    Answer  me,  mother." 

"Jack,"  said  Nanny,  removing  the  apron  from  her,  face, 
"  I  feel  as  if  It  was  I  who  ought  to  ask  his  pardon,  and 
not  he  who  should  ask  mine.  Who  made  him  bad  ? — his 
foolish  mother.  Who  made  him  unable  to  control  his 
passions  ? — his  foolish  mother.  Who  was  the  cause  of 
his  plunging  into  vice — of  his  intemperance,  of  his  gaming, 
of  his  wild  and  desperate  career — which  might  have 
ended,  as  I  supposed  it  had  done,  on  the  gallows — but 
a  foolish,  weak,  selfish  mother,  who  did  not  do  her  duty 
to  him  in  his  childhood.  It  is  I  who  was  his  great 
enemy — I  who  assisted  the  devil  to  lead  him  to  destruc- 
tion— I  who,  had  he  been  hanged,  had  been,  and  have 
felt  for  years,  that  I  was  his  executioner.  Can  I  forgive 
him  !     Can  /^e  forgive  me  ?  " 

"  Mother,  his  time  is  short — I  will  come  to  you  again, 
and  tell  you  much  more.     But  if  you  knew  how  earnest 


Poor  Jack  337 

he  is  to  have  your  forgiveness  before  he  dies,  you  would 
at  once  send  me  away  to  him." 

"  Then  go,  my  child — go,  and  may  you  often  be  sent 
on  such  kind  missions  !  Go,  and  tell  my  poor  James  that 
his  mother  forgives  him — begs  to  be  forgiven — still  dotes 
upon  him — and  Gk)d  knows  with  how  much  pleasure 
would  die  for  him  !  Go  quick,  child — the  sands  of  the 
glass  run  fast — quick,  child — the  dying  cannot  wait — 
quick — quick  !  " 

Nanny  had  risen  from  her  stool  and  taken  me  by  the 
arm:  when  we  were  clear  of  the  threshold  she  loosed 
me,  and  sunk  down  to  the  earth,  whether  overcome  by 
her  feelings,  or  in  a  state  of  insensibility,  I  did  not  wait 
to  ascertain — I  fled  to  execute  my  mission  before  it  was 
too  late. 

In  a  few  minutes  I  was  at  the  Hospital — breathless,  it 
was  true.  I  went  in,  and  found  Spicer  still  alive,  for  his 
eyes  turned  to  me.  I  went  up  to  him ;  the  nurse,  who 
was  standing  by  him,  told  me  he  was  speechless,  and 
would  soon  be  gone.  I  told  her  I  would  remain  with 
him,  and  she  went  to  the  other  patients.  I  gave  him  his 
mother's  message,  and  he  was  satisfied :  he  squeezed  my 
hand,  and  a  smile,  which  appeared  to  illumine,  like  a 
rainbow,  his  usual  dark  and  moody  countenance,  intimated 
hope  and  joy ;  in  a  few  seconds  he  was  no  more,  but  the 
smile  continued  on  his  features  after  death. 

I  then  returned  to  old  Nanny,  who,  I  found,  had  been 
put  into  bed  by  some  neighbours,  and  at  her  bedside  was 
Mrs  St  Felix,  who  had  been  passing  by,  and  had  observed 
her  situation.  She  was  now  recovered,  and  quiet.  As 
soon  as  they  had  left  her,  I  entered  into  a  more  full  detail 
of  how  I  became  acquainted  with  the  circumstances  which 
led  to  the  discovery.  I  did  not  conceal  from  her  that 
it  was  her  own  son  who  had  attempted  the  robbery ;  and 
I  wound  up,  by  stating  that  he  had  died,  I  really  believed, 
not  only  penitent,  but  happy  from  having  received  her 
forgiveness. 

"Jack — Jack — you  have  been  as  good  as  an  angel  ta 

P.J.  Y 


^^S  Poor  Jack 

me,  indeed  you  have.  It  was  you,  also,  who  prevented 
my  poor  James  from  killing  his  mother— it  is  you  that 
have  been  the  means  of  his  making  his  peace  with  Heaven. 
Bless  you.  Jack  j  bless  you." 


Chapter  XLVI 

In  which  Mrs  St  Felix  refuses  a  splendid  offer,  which  I  am  duly  empowered 
to  make  to  her. 

I  LEFT  old  Nanny  as  soon  as  she  was  more  composed,  for 
I  was  so  anxious  to  have  some  conversation  with  old 
Anderson.  I  did  not  call  on  my  father,  as  it  was  not  a 
case  on  which  he  was  likely  to  offer  any  opinion,  and  I 
thought  it  better  that  the  secret  which  I  possessed  should 
be  known  but  to  one  other  person.  I  refer  to  the  know- 
ledge which  I  had  obtained  relative  to  the  husband  of 
Mrs  St  Felix,  who,  it  appeared,  was  not  hanged,  as 
supposed  by  her.  The  information  received  from  Spicer 
accounted  for  Mrs  St  Felix's  conduct  when  any  reference 
was  made  to  her  husband ;  and  I  was  now  aware  how 
much  pain  she  must  have  suffered  when  his  name  was 
mentioned.  I  found  Anderson  alone  in  his  office,  and 
I  immediately  made  him  acquainted  with  what  I  had 
learnt,  and  asked  him  his  opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of 
communicating  it  to  Mrs  St  Felix.  Anderson  rested  his 
head  upon  his  hand  for  some  time  in  silence :  at  last  he 
looked  up  at  me.  "Why,  Tom,  that  she  suffers  much 
from  the  supposed  ignominious  fate  of  her  husband  is 
certain,  but  it  is  only  occasionally ;  her  spirits  are  good, 
and  she  is  cheerful,  except  when  reminded  of  it  by  any 
casual  observation.  That  it  would  prove  a  great  con- 
solation to  her  to  know  that  her  husband  did  not  forfeit 
his  life  on  the  scaffold,  is  true;  but  what  then — he  is 
said  to  have  entered  the  king's  service  under  another 
name,  and,  of  course,  there  is  every  probability  of  his 
being  alive  and  well  at  this  moment.     Now  she  is  com- 


Poor  Jack  339 

paratively  tranquil  and  composed,  but  consider  what 
anxiety,  what  suspense,  what  doubts,  must  ever  fill  her 
mind,  must  oppress  her  waking  hours,  must  haunt  her  in 
her  dreams,  after  she  is  made  acquainted  with  his  possible 
existence.  Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick;  and 
her  existence  would  be  one  of  continued  tumult,  of 
constant  anticipation,  and  I  may  say  of  misery. — He  may 
be  dead,  and  then  will  her  new-born  hopes  be  crushed 
when  she  has  ascertained  the  fact ;  he  may  never  appear 
again,  and  she  may  linger  out  a  life  of  continual  fretting. 
I  think,  Tom,  that  were  she  my  daughter,  and  I  in 
possession  of  similar  facts,  I  would  not  tell  her — at  least, 
not  at  present.  "We  may  be  able  to  make  inquiries  with- 
out her  knowledge.  We  know  his  name  :  an  advertisement 
might  come  to  his  eyes  or  ears ;  and,  moreover,  you  have 
the  telescope,  which  may  be  of  use  if  it  is  constantly  seen 
in  your  hands.  Let  us  at  present  do  all  we  can  without 
her  knowledge,  and  leave  the  result  in  the  hands  of 
Providence,  who,  if  it  thinks  fit,  will  work  by  its  own 
means.     Are  you  of  my  opinion,  Tom  ?  " 

"  When  I  came  to  ask  your  advice,  Anderson,  it  was 
with  the  intention  of  being  guided  by  it,  even  if  it  had  not 
coincided  with  my  own  opinion,  which,  now  that  I  have 
heard  your  reasons,  it  certainly  does.  By-the-bye,  I  have 
not  yet  called  upon  Mrs  St  Felix,  and  I  will  go  now.  You 
will  see  old  Nanny  again  .'' " 

"  I  will,  my  boy,  this  evening.  Good-bye  !  I'm  very 
busy  now,  for  the  officers  will  inspect  to-morrow  morning." 

I  quitted  the  Hospital,  and  had  arrived  in  Church  Street, 
when,  passing  the  doctor's  house  on  my  way  to  Mrs  St 
Felix,  Mr  Thomas  Cobb,  who  had  become  a  great  dandy, 
and,  in  his  own  opinion  at  least,  a  great  doctor,  called  to 
me  :  "  Saunders,  my  dear  fellow,  just  come  in — I  wish  to 
speak  with  you  particularly."  I  complied  with  his  wishes. 
Mr  Cobb  was  remarkable  in  his  dress.  Having  sprung  up 
to  the  height  of  at  least  six  feet  in  his  stockings,  he  had 
become  remarkably  thin  and  spare  ;  and  the  first  idea  that 
struck   you   when   you   saw  him   was,   that  he   was   all 


340  Poor  Jack 

pantaloons — for  he  wore  blue  cotton  net  tight  pantaloons  ; 
and  his  Hessian  boots  were  so  low,  ^nd  his  waistcoat 
so  short,  that  there  was  at  least  four  feet,  out  of  the  sum 
total  of  six,  composed  of  blue  cotton  net,  which  fitted  very 
close  to  a  very  spare  figure.  He  wore  no  cravat,  but 
a  turn-down  collar  with  a  black  ribbon  ;  his  hair  very  long, 
with  a  very  puny  pair  of  mustachios  on  his  upper  Hp,  and 
something  like  a  tuft  on  his  chin.  Altogether,  he  was  a 
strange-looking  being,  especially  when  he  had  substituted 
for  his  long  coat  a  short  nankeen  jacket,  which  was  the 
case  at  the  time  I  am  speaking  of. 

"  "Well,  Mr  Cobb,  what  may  be  your  pleasure  with  me  ? 
You  must  not  detain  me  long,  as  I  was  about  to  call  on 
Mrs  St  Felix." 

*'  So  I  presumed,  my  dear  sir,"  replied  he,  "  and  for 
that  very  reason  I  requested  you  to  walk  in.  Take  a 
chair.  Friendship,  Tom,  is  a  great  blessing — it  is  one  of 
the  charms  of  life.  We  have  known  each  other  long, — 
and  it  is  to  tax  your  friendship  that  I  have  requested  you 
to  come  in." 

"  Well,  be  as  quick  as  you  can — that's  all,"  replied  I. 

*'  Festina  lente,  as  Doctor  Tadpole  often  says,  adding 
that  it  is  Latin  for  hat  and  boots.  I  am  surprised  at  his 
ignorance  of  the  classics  ;  any  school-boy  ought  to  know 
that  caput  is  the  Latin  for  hat,  and  Bootes  for  boots.  But 
lately  I  have  abandoned  the  classics,  and  have  given  up 
my  soul  to  poetry." 

"  Indeed ! " 

"  Yes, — *  Friendship  and  Love  *  is  my  toast,  whenever 
I  am  called  upon  at  the  club.     What  does  Campbell  say  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know." 

"  I'll  tell  you,  Tom, 

"  Without  the  smile  from  heav'iily  beauty  won, 
Oh,  what  were  man  ?     A  world  without  a  sun." 

*'Well,  I  daresay  it's  all  true,"  replied  I;  "for  if  a 
woman  does  not  smile  upon  a  man,  he's  not  very  likely  to 
marry  her,  and  therefore  has  no  chance  of  having  a  son." 


Poor  Jack  341 

"  Tom,  you  have  no  soul  of  poetry." 

"  Perhaps  not — I  have  been  too  busy  to  read  any." 

"  But  you  should — ^youth  is  the  age  of  poetry." 

"Well,  I  thought  it  was  the  time  to  work :  moreover, 
I  don't  understand  how  youth  can  be  age.  But,  pray  tell 
me,  what  is  it  you  want  of  me,  for  I  want  to  see  Mrs  St 
Felix  before  dinner-time." 

"Well  then,  Tom,  I  am  in  love — deeply,  desperately, 
irrevocably,  and  everlastingly  in  love." 

"  I  wish  you  well  out  of  it,"  replied  I,  with  some  bitter- 
ness. **  And  pray  with  whom  may  you  be  so  dreadfully 
in  love — Anny  Whistle  ?  " 

"  Anny  Whistle  ! — to  the  winds  have  I  whistled  her 
long  ago.  No,  that  was  a  juvenile  fancy.  Hear  me — 
I  am  in  love  with  the  charming  widow." 

"  What,  Mrs  St  Felix  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Felix  means  happy  in  Latin — and  my  happiness 
depends  upon  her.  I  must  either  succeed,  or — Tom,  do 
you  see  that  bottle  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"Well — it's  laudanum— that's  all." 

"  But,  Tom,  you  forget ;  you  certainly  would  not  sup- 
plant your  patron,  your  master,  I  may  say,  your  benefactor 
— the  doctor  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  he  has  tried,  and  failed.  He  has  been 
trying  to  make  an  impression  upon  her  these  ten  years, 
but  it's  no  go.  Ain't  I  a  doctor,  as  good  as  he — ay,  better, 
— for  I'm  a  young  doctor,  and  he  is  an  old  one  !  All  the 
ladies  are  for  me  now.     I'm  a  very  rising  young  man." 

"  Well,  don't  rise  much  higher,  or  your  head  will  reach 
up  to  the  shop  ceiling.  Have  you  anything  more  to  say 
to  me  }  " 

"  Why,  I  have  hardly  begun. — You  see,  Tom,  the 
widow  looks  upon  me  with  a  favourable  eye  ;  and  more 
than  once  I  have  thought  of  popping  the  question  over  the 
counter ;  but  I  never  could  muster  up  courage,  my  love  is 
so  intense.     As  the  poet  says — 


342  Poor  Jack 

Silence  in  love  betrays  more  woe 

Than  words,  howe'er  so  witty ; 
The  beggar  that  is  dumb,  you  know, 

Deserves  our  double  pity. 

Now,  Tom,  I  wish  to  tax  your  friendship — I  wish  you  to 
speak  for  me." 

"  What,  speak  to  Mrs  St  Felix  ? " 

*•  Yes,  be  my  ambassador.— I  have  attempted  to  write 
some  verses  j  but  somehow  or  another  I  never  could  find 
rhymes — the  poetic  feeling  is  in  me  nevertheless.  Tell 
me,  Tom,  will  you  do  what  I  ask  ?  " 

"  But  what  makes  you  think  that  the  widow  is  favourably 
inclined  ?  " 

"  "What  ?  why,  her  behaviour  to  be  sure.  I  never  pass 
her  but  she  laughs  or  smiles ;  and  then  the  doctor  is 
evidently  jealous, — accuses  me  of  making  wrong  mixtures 
— of  paying  too  much  attention  to  dress — of  reading  too 
much — always  finding  fault — however,  the  time  may  come 

1   repeat   my  request.     Tom,   will  you  oblige   me  ^ 

You  ought  to  have  a  fellow-feeling." 

This  last  remark  annoyed  me.  I  felt  convinced  that 
Mrs  St  Felix  was  really  laughing  at  him — so  I  replied — 

"  I  shall  not  refuse  you,  but  recollect  that  he  who  has 
been  so  unsuccessful  himself,  is  not  likely  to  succeed  for 
others.     You  shall  have  your  answer  very  soon." 

"  Thanks,  Tom — thanks ;  my  toast,  as  I  said  before, 
when  called  upon,  is — Friendship  and  Love." 

I  quitted  the  shop,  and  went  into  that  of  Mrs  St  Felix, 
who,  I  thought,  looked  handsomer  than  ever. 

"  Come  at  last,  Tom,"  said  the  widow,  extending  her 
hand ;  "  I  thought  you  would  have  called  yesterday. 
Your  sister  was  here." 

"I  have  been  less  pleasantly  engaged.  You  know  that 
Spicer  is  dead." 

"  One  of  the  pensioners — I  never  saw  him  that  I  know 
of;  but  I  heard  old  Ben  mention  his  death  this  morning — 
and  that  you  were  with  him  :  was  he  a  friend  of  your's  ? " 

"No,  indeed,  I  thought  you  knew  something  of  him,  or 


Poor  Jack  343 

I  should  not  have  mentioned  his  name."  I  then  changed 
the  conversation,  telling  her  what  had  passed  at  Deal,  and 
listening  to  her  remarks  upon  old  Nanny,  my  mother,  and 
our  mutual  acquaintances. 

**  And  the  doctor — how  is  he  ?  " 

"As  busy  as  ever:  I'm  sorry,  however,  that  he  com- 
plains very  much  of  Tom  Cobb,  and  says  that  he  must 
dismiss  him.  He  has  made  some  very  serious  mistakes  in 
mixing  the  medicines,  and  nearly  killed  five  or  six  people." 

"Had  he  killed  them  outright,  their  deaths  must  have 
been  laid  at  your  door,"  replied  I,  very  seriously. 

"  Good  Heavens  !  what  do  you  mean,  Tom  ?  " 

"  I  mean  this — that  your  bright  eyes  have  fascinated 
him ;  and  that,  to  use  his  own  expression,  he  is  deeply, 
desperately,  irrevocably,  and  everlastingly  in  love — with 
jl'o«." 

Here  Mrs  St  Felix  burst  out  in  a  laugh,  so  violent  that 
I  thought  that  it  would  end  in  hysterics.  As  soon  as  she 
had  recovered  herself,  I  continued — 

"It  is  all  true — and  independent  of  the  five  or  six 
people  half  killed,  you  will  have  to  answer  for  a  lukole 
death  besides,  for  Tom  has  intimated  to  me  that  if  he  fails 
in  his  suit,  he  will  have  recourse  to  the  big  bottle  of 
laudanum.  You  must  further  know  that  he  has  taxed  my 
friendship  to  make  known  to  you  his  deplorable  condition, 
being  unequal  to  the  task  himself." 

"  He  must  be  mad,"  observed  Mrs  St  Felix,  quietly. 

"He  flatters  himself  that  you  have  given  him  encourage- 
ment: I  asked  him  in  what  way; — he  says  you  always 
laugh  at  him." 

"True  as  the  Bible — I  can't  help  laughing  at  such  a 
droll  figure  as  he  makes  of  himself.  Mercy  on  me,  what 
are  men  made  of!  Well,  Tom,  I'm  sure  I  ought  to  be 
flattered — for  (let  it  be  a  secret  between  us,  Tom,)  this  is 
the  second  offer  I  have  received  within  these  twenty-four 
hours." 

"  The  doctor,  I  presume  :  Tom  says  that  he  is  jealous." 

"  I  mention  no  names.     This  is  all  very  foolish." 


344  Poor  Jack 

"But  you  have  not  yet  rejected  both — Tom  awaits  his 
answer." 

"  Tell  him  anything  that  you  please — by-the-bye,  you 
may  just  as  well  add  that  instead  of  taking  the  laudanum, 
he  had  better  resort  to  his  old  remedy — of  liquorice  and 
water.  It  will  look  just  as  killing  in  the  phial,  and  not  be 
quite  so  fatal  in  its  results." 

"  I  shall  certainly  execute  your  commission  in  as  delicate 
a  way  as  I  possibly  can." 

"  Do,  Tom,  and  pray  let  me  hear  no  more  of  this 
nonsense,  for,  ridiculous  as  it  may  appear,  it  is  to  me  very 
painful.  Leave  me  now — I  am  nervous  and  low-spirited. 
Good-bye.  Come  this  evening  with  your  sister, — I  shall 
be  better  then." 

Mrs  St  Felix  went  into  the  back  parlour,  and  I  left  the 
shop.  I  had  turned  the  wrong  way,  almost  forgetting  to 
give  Tom  his  answer,  when  I  recollected  myself,  and 
returned  to  the  doctor's  house. 

"Well,"  said  Tom,  eagerly. 

"  Why,"  replied  I,  hardly  having  made  my  mind  up 
what  to  say,  yet  not  wishing  to  hurt  his  feelings — **  the 
fact  is,  Tom,  that  the  widow  has  a  very  good  opinion  of 
you." 

"  I  knew  that,"  interrupted  Tom. 

"And  if  she  were  ever  to  marry  again — why,  you  would 
have  quite  as  good  a  chance  as  the  doctor." 

"  I  was  sure  of  that,"  said  he. 

"But  at  present,  the  widow — for  reasons  which  she 
cannot  explain  to  anybody — cannot  think  of  entering  into 
any  new  engagement." 

"  I  see — no  regular  engagement." 

"  Exactly  so — but  as  soon  as  she  feels  herself  at 
liberty " 

"  Yes,"  said  Tom,  breathless. 

"  Vv'hy,  then  she'll  send,  I  presume,  and  let  you  know." 

"  I  see — then  1  may  hope." 

"  Why,  not  exactly — but  there  will  be  no  occasion  to 
take  laudanum." 


Poor  Jack  345 

**  Not  a  drop,  my  dear  fellow,  depend  upon  it." 

"  There  is  no  saying  what  may  come  to  pass,  you  see, 
Tom  :  two,  or  three,  or  four  years  may " 

"  Four  years — that's  a  very  long  time." 

"  Nothing  to  a  man  sincerely  in  love." 

"  No,  nothing — that's  very  true." 

"  So  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  follow  up  your  profession 
quietly  and  steadily — and  wait  and  see  what  time  may 
bring  forth." 

*'  So  I  will — Fll  wait  twenty  years,  if  that's  all." 

I  wished  Tom  good-bye,  thinking  that  it  was  probable  that 
he  would  wait  a  great  deal  longer ;  but  at  all  events,  he 
was  pacified  and  contented  for  the  time,  and  there  would 
be  no  great  harm  done,  even  if  he  did  continue  to  make  the 
widow  the  object  of  his  passion  for  a  year  or  two  longer. 
It  would  keep  him  out  of  mischief,  and  away  from  Anny 
Whistle. 

On  my  return  home  I  met  with  a  severe  shock,  in  conse- 
quence of  information  which  my  mother  did  not  scruple  to 
communicate  to  me.  Perhaps  it  was  all  for  the  best,  as  it 
broke  the  last  link  of  an  unhappy  attachment.  She  in- 
formed me  very  abruptly  that  the  shutters  of  Mr  Wilson's 
house  were  closed  in  consequence  of  his  having  received 

intelligence  of  the  death  of  Lady Poor  Janet  had 

expired  in  her  first  confinement,  and  the  mother  and  child 
were  to  be  consigned  to  the  same  tomb.  This  intelligence 
drove  me  to  my  chamber,  and  I  may  be  considered  weak, 
but  I  shed  many  tears  for  her  untimely  end.  I  did  not  go 
with  my  sister  to  Mrs  St  Felix,  but  remained  alone  till  the 
next  day,  when  Virginia  came,  and  persuaded  me  to  walk 
with  her  to  the  Hospital,  as  she  had  a  message  for  my 
father. 

After  we  had  seen  my  father,  we  walked  down  to  the 
Hospital  Terrace,  by  the  river-side.  We  had  not  been 
there  but  a  few  minutes,  when  we  heard  Bill  Harness 
strike  up  with  his  fiddle  : — 

O  cruel  was  my  parents  as  tore  my  love  from  me, 
And  cruel  was  the  pressgang  as  took  him  off  to  sea; 


34^  Poor  Jack 

And  cruel  was  the  little  boat  as  row'd  him  from  the  strand, 
But  crueller  the  big  ship  as  sail'd  him  from  the  land. 

Sing  tura-la,  tura-la,  tura-lara  ley, 

O  cruel  was  the  water  as  bore  my  love  from  Mary, 
And  cruel  was  the  fair  wind  as  wouldn't  blow  contrary ; 
And  cruel  was  the  captain,  his  boatswain,  and  his  men. 
As  didn't  care  a  farding  if  we  never  meet  again. 

Sing  tura-la,  tura-la,  tura-lara  ley. 

O  cruel  was  th'  engagement  in  which  my  true  love  fought, 
And  cruel  was  the  cannon-ball  as  knock'd  his  right  eye  out ; 
He  used  to  ogle  me,  with  peepers  full  of  fun. 
But  now  he  looks  askew  at  me,  because  he's  only  one. 

Sing  tura-la,  &c.  &c. 

**  Eh  !  wid  your  tura-la.  You  call  dat  singing  .''  "  cried 
Opposition  Bill,  stumping  up,  with  his  fiddle  in  his  hand. 
"  Stop  a  little.  How  you  do,  Mr  Tom — how  you  do, 
pretty  lady  .?  Now  I  sing  you  a  song,  and  show  dat  fellow 
how  to  make  music.     Stop  a  little.  Miss  Virginny." 

"  Well,"  said  Bill  Harness,  "  I'll  just  let  you  sing,  that 
Miss  Saunders  may  judge  between  us." 

Virginia  felt  half  inclined  to  go  away  ;  but  as  the  pen- 
sioners always  treated  her  with  as  much  respect  as  any  of 
the  ladies  of  the  officers  of  the  Hospital,  I  pressed  her  arm 
that  she  might  stay.  Opposition  Bill  then  struck  up  as 
follows,  saying,  "Now  I  give  you  a  new  'Getting  upstairs.' " 

On  board  of  a  man-of-war  dey  hauled  me  one  day. 
And  pitch  me  up  de  side,  just  like  one  truss  of  hay. 

Such  a  getting  upstairs  I  nebber  did  see, 

Such  a  getting  upstairs. 

Dey  show  me  de  mast-head,  and  tell  me  I  must  go, 
I  tumble  on  de  rattling,  and  break  my  lilly  toe. 

Such  a  getting  upstairs  I  nebber  did  see,  &c. 

Dey  pipe  de  hands  up  anchor,  and  Massa  Boatswain's  cane 
Come  rattle  on  our  backs,  for  all  de  world  like  rain. 

Such  a  getting  upstairs,  &c. 

And  den  dey  man  de  rigging,  the  topsails  for  to  reef, 
And  up  we  scull  together,  just  like  a  flock  of  sheep. 

Such  a  getting  upstairs,  &c. 


Poor  Jack  347 

Dey  send  de  boats  away,  a  Frenchman  for  to  board, 

We  climb  the  side  with  one  hand,  de  oder  hold  de  sword. 

Such  a  getting  upstairs,  &c. 

Now  here  I  sent  to  Greenwich  because  I  lost  a  leg, 
And  ab  to  climb  up  to  de  ward  upon  my  wooden  peg. 

Such  a  getting  upstairs,  &c. 

**  Dere  now — I  ask  you,  Mister  Tom,  and  de  young^ 
lady,  which  sing  best,  dat  fellow,  or  your  humble  servant 
Bill— dat's  me." 

"  You  sing  very  well,  Bill,"  said  Virginia,  laughing, 
"  but  I'm  not  able  to  decide  such  a  difficult  point." 

*'  Nor  more  can  I ;  it  is  impossible  to  say  which  I  like 
best,"  continued  I.  *'  We  must  go  home  now  —  so 
good-bye." 

"  Thanky  you.  Mister  Tom,  thanky  you.  Missy.  I  see 
you  wish  to  spare  him  feelings ;  but  I  know  what  you 
tink  in  your  heart." 

Virginia  and  I  now  left  the  Hospital.  There  was  one 
subject  which  was  often  discussed  between  my  sister  and 
me,  which  was,  my  situation  with  regard  to  Bramble  and 
Bessy.  I  had  no  secrets  from  her,  and  she  earnestly 
advised  me  to  try  if  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  an 
union  with  a  person  of  whom  I  could  not  possibly  speak 
but  with  the  highest  encomiums. 

"  Depend  upon  it,  my  dear  Tom,"  said  she,  "  she  will 
make  you  a  good  wife ;  and  with  her  as  a  companion, 
you  will  soon  forget  the  unhappy  attachment  which  has 
made  you  so  miserable.  I  am  not  qualified  from  experience 
to  advise  you  on  this  point ;  but  I  have  a  conviction  in  my 
own  mind  that  Bessy  is  really  just  the  sort  of  partner  for 
life  who  will  make  you  happy.  And  then  you  owe 
much  to  Bramble,  and  you  are  aware  how  happy  it  would 
make  him :  and  as  her  partiality  for  you  is  already  proved, 
I  do  wish  that  you  would  think  seriously  upon  what  I  now 
say.  I  long  to  see  and  make  her  acquaintance,  but  I  really 
long  much  more  to  embrace  her  as  a  sister." 

I  could  not  help  acknowledging  that  Bessy  was  as 
perfect  as  I  could  expect  any  one  to  be,  where  none  are 


34^  Poor  Jack 

perfect.  I  admitted  the  truth  and  good  sense  of  my  sister's 
reasoning,  and  the  death  of  Janet  contributed  not  a  little  to 
assist  her  arguments  ;  but  she  was  not  the  only  one  who 
appeared  to  take  an  interest  in  this  point :  my  father  would 
hint  at  it  jocosely,  and  Mrs  St  Felix  did  once  compliment 
me  on  my  good  fortune  in  having  the  chance  of  success 
with  a  person  whom  everyone  admired  and  praised.  The 
party,  however,  who  had  most  weight  with  me  was  old 
Anderson,  who  spoke  to  me  unreservedly  and  seriously. 
"  Tom,"  said  he,  **  you  must  be  aware  that  Bramble  and  I 
are  great  friends,  and  have  been  so  for  many  years.  He 
has  no  secrets  from  me,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  telling 
you  that  his  regards  and  affections  are  so  equally  bestowed 
between  you  and  his  adopted  child,  that  it  is  difficult  for 
himself  to  say  to  which  he  is  the  most  attached ;  further, 
as  he  has  told  me,  his  fervent  and  his  dearest  wish, — the 
one  thing  which  will  make  him  happy,  and  the  only  one 
without  which  he  will  not  be  happy,  although  he  may  be 
resigned,  is  that  an  union  should  take  place  between  you 
and  Bessy.  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  would  persuade 
you  to  marry  her  out  of  gratitude  to  Bramble.  Gratitude 
may  be  carried  too  far.  But  she  is,  by  all  accounts, 
amiable  and  beautiful — devoted  to  excess,  and  capable  of 
any  exertion  and  any  sacrifice  for  those  she  loves, — and, 
Tom,  she  loves  you.  With  her  I  consider  that  you  have 
every  prospect  of  being  happy  in  the  most  important  step 
in  life.  You  may  say  that  you  do  not  love  her,  although 
you  respect,  and  admire,  and  esteem  her : — granted  ;  but 
on  such  feelings  towards  a  woman  is  the  firmest  love  based, 
and  must  eventually  grow.  Depend  upon  it,  Tom,  that 
that  hasty  and  violent  attachment  which  is  usually  termed 
love,  and  which  so  blinds  both  parties  that  they  cannot, 
before  marriage,  perceive  each  other's  faults — those  matches 
which  are  called  love-matches,  seldom  or  never  turn  out 
happily.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  but  that  they  sometimes  do ; 
but,  like  a  lottery,  there  are  many  blanks  for  one  prize. 
Believe  me,  Tom,  there  is  no  one  who  has  your  interest 
and  welfare  at  heart  more  than  I  have.     I  have  known  you 


Poor  jack  349 

since  yon  were  a  child,  and  have  watched  you  with  as 
much  solicitude  as  any  parent.  Do  you  think,  then,  that 
I  would  persuade  you  to  what  I  thought  would  not 
contribute  to  your  happiness  ?  Do,  my  dear  boy,  make 
Bramble,  Bessy,  yourself,  and  all  of  us  happy,  by  weaning 
yourself  from  the  memory  of  one  who  was  undeserving  of 
you,  and  fixing  your  affections  upon  her  who  will  be  as 
steadfast  and  as  true  to  you  as  the  other  was  false  and 
capricious."  I  promised  Anderson  that  I  would  think 
seriously  of  what  he  said ;  and  I  kept  my  word,  using  all 
my  endeavours  to  drive  the  image  of  Janet  from  my 
memory,  and  substitute  that  of  Bessy  ;  I  often  recalled  the 
latter  to  my  mind,  as  she  lay  beautiful  and  motionless,  after 
having  rescued  her  father  from  the  waves,  and  at  last 
dwelt  upon  the  image  with  something  more  than  interest. 
The  great  point  when  you  wish  to  bring  yourself  to  do  any- 
thing is,  to  make  up  your  mind  to  it.  I  did  so  ;  and  soon 
found  that  Bessy  was  rapidly  gaining  possession  of  my  heart. 

I  remained  several  days  at  Greenwich.  My  mother  was 
still  as  busy  as  ever,  attempting  to  obtain  lodgers  in  her 
house  who  were  people  of  family,  and  this  unwearied 
system  was  a  source  of  great  vexation  to  my  sister.  "Oh, 
Tom,"  she  would  sometimes  say,  "I  almost  wish  some- 
times, selfish  as  it  is,  that  you  were  married  to  Bessy ; 
for  then  I  should  be  able  to  live  with  you,  and  escape 
from  this  persecution." 

"  Better  marry  yourself,  dear,"  replied  I. 

"There  is  but  little  chance  of  that,  Tom,"  replied 
Virginia,  shaking  her  head. 

On  my  return  to  Deal,  I  found  Bramble  had  remained 
at  the  cottage  ever  since  my  departure.  Our  greeting 
was  warm,  and  when  I  went  over  to  Bessy,  for  the  first 
time  since  she  had  returned  from  school,  I  kissed  her. 
She  coloured  up,  poor  girl,  burst  into  tears,  and  hastened 
to  her  own  room. 

"I  hope  that  was  in  earnest,  Tom,"  said  Bramble, 
fixing  his  eye  upon  me  inquiringly — "otherwise  it  was 
cruel." 


350  Poor  Jack 

"  It  was,  indeed,  father,"  replied  I,  taking  him  by  the 
hand. 

"  Then  all's  right,  and  God  bless  you,  my  dear  good 
boy.  You  don't  know  how  happy  you  have  made  me — 
yes,  and  now  I  will  say  it — poor  Bessy  also." 


Chapter  XLVII 

In  which  a  new  character  appears  upon  the  stage,  and  I  play  the  part  of  a 
pilot  on  shore. 

**  A  FRIGATE  has  anchored  in  the  Downs,  Tom,  and  makes 
the  signal  for  a  pilot,"  said  Bramble,  coming  into  the 
cottage,  with  my  telescope  in  his  hand.  "  There  is  but 
you  and  I  here — what  do  you  say  ? — will  you  venture  to 
take  her  up  to  the  Medway  ? " 

"  To  be  sure  I  will,  father  ;  I  would  not  refuse  a  line- 
of-battle  ship.  Why  should  I  ?  the  tides  are  the  same, 
and  the  sands  have  not  shifted.  Would  you  not  trust 
me?" 

"  Ay,  that  I  would,  Tom,  and  perhaps  better  than 
myself;  for  my  eyes  are  not  so  good  as  they  were. 
Well,  then,  you  had  better  be  off." 

I  got  my  bundle  ready,  and  was  about  to  start,  when 
I  perceived  my  telescope  lying  down  where  Bramble  had 
placed  it  on  the  table.  "They  are  not  very  fond  of 
letting  pilots  have  their  glasses  on  board  of  a  king's 
ship,"  said  I,  "  so  I  will  take  mine  this  time." 

"  You're  right,  Tom — you  can't  take  the  spy-glass  out 
of  the  captain's  hand,  as  you  do  in  a  merchant  vessel." 

"  Well,  good-bye,  father  j  I  shall  come  down  again  as 
soon  as  I  can — there's  another  gun,  the  captain  of  the 
frigate  is  in  a  hurry." 

"They  always  are  on  board  of  a  man-of-war,  if  no 
attention  is  paid  to  their  orders  or  their  signals.  Come, 
start  away." 

I  went  down  to  the  beach,  the  men  launched  the  galley. 


Poor  Jack  351 

and  I  was  soon  on  board.  As  I  gained  the  quarter-deck, 
I  was  met  by  the  captain  and  first  lieutenant,  who  were 
standing  there. 

"  Well,"  said  the  captain,  "  where's  the  pilot .?  " 

**I  am,  sir,"  replied  I,  taking  off  my  hat. 

**  "Where's  your  warrant  ?  " 

"  There,  sir,"  replied  I,  offering  him  the  tin  case  in 
which  I  carried  it. 

"Well,  all  is  right,  my  good  fellow 5  but  you  seem 
but  a  young  hand." 

"  Not  so  young  as  to  lose  so  fine  a  vessel  as  this,  I  trust, 
sir,"  replied  I. 

**  I  hope  not,  too  j  and  I  dare  say  you  are  as  good  as 
many  with  grey  hairs.  At  all  events  your  warrant  is 
sufficient  for  me,  and  the  frigate  is  now  under  your  charge. 
Will  you  weigh  directly  ?  " 

"  If  you  please  j  the  wind  will  probably  fail  as  the  sun 
goes  down,  and,  if  so,  we  may  just  as  well  lie  off  the  Fore- 
land to-night." 

The  frigate  was  soon  under  weigh ;  she  was  evidently 
well-manned,  and  as  well  commanded.  The  wind  fell,  as 
I  expected,  and  after  dark  we  barely  stemmed  the  ebb-tide. 
Of  course  I  was  up  all  night,  as  was  my  duty,  and  occasion- 
ally entered  into  conversation  with  the  officer  of  the  watch 
and  midshipmen.  From  them  I  learnt  that  the  frigate, 
which  was  called  the  Euphrosyne,  had  just  returned  from 
the  West  India  station  ;  that  they  had  been  out  four  years, 
during  which  they  had  two  single-handed  encounters,  and 
captured  two  French  frigates,  besides  assisting  at  many 
combined  expeditions ;  that  they  were  commanded  by  Sir 
James  O'Connor,  who  had  distinguished  himself  very  much, 
and  was  considered  one  of  the  best  officers  in  the  service  \ 
that  the  frigate  had  suffered  so  from  the  conflicts  in  which 
they  had  been  engaged,  that  she  had  been  sent  home  to  be 
surveyed  J  it  was  found  that  she  must  be  docked,  and 
undergo  a  thorough  repair,  and  consequently  they  had  been 
ordered  to  Sheerness,  where  the  ship  would  be  paid  off. 
At  daylight  there  was  a  leading  wind  up  the  river,  and  we 


352  Poor  Jack 

made  sail,  carrying  with  us  three-fourths  of  the  flood.  The 
discipline  and  order  of  the  ship's  company  were  so  great 
that  I  felt  much  more  confidence  in  piloting  this  vessel, 
notwithstanding  her  greater  draught  of  water,  than  I  did  a 
merchant  vessel,  in  which  you  had  to  wait  so  long  before 
the  people  could  execute  what  you  required :  here,  it  was 
but  to  speak,  and  it  was  done,  well  done,  and  done 
immediately ;  the  vessel  appeared  to  obey  the  will  of  the 
pilot,  as  if  endued  with  sense  and  volition ;  and  the  men 
at  the  lead  gave  quick  and  correct  soundings ;  the  conse- 
quence was,  that  I  had  every  confidence,  and,  while  the 
captain  and  officers  sometimes  appeared  anxious  at  the 
decrease  of  the  depth  of  water,  I  was  indifferent,  and  I 
daresay  appeared  to  them  careless,  but  such  was  not  the 
case. 

♦'  Quarter  less  5." 

"  Quarter  less  $.  Pilot,  do  you  know  what  water  we 
draw  ? " 

"  Yes,  Sir  James,  I  do  ;  we  shall  have  half  four  directly, 
and  after  that  the  water  will  deepen." 

As  it  proved  exactly  as  I  stated,  the  captain  had  after 
that  more  confidence  in  me.  At  all  events,  the  frigate  was 
brought  safely  to  an  anchor  in  the  river  Medway,  and  Sir 
James  O'Connor  went  down  to  his  cabin,  leaving  the  first 
lieutenant  to  moor  her,  for  such  were  the  port  orders.  As 
I  had  nothing  more  to  do,  I  thought  I  might  as  well  go  on 
shore,  and  get  a  cast  down  by  one  of  the  night  coaches  to 
Dover.  I  therefore  begged  the  first  lieutenant  to  order 
my  certificate  of  pilotage  to  be  made  out,  and  to  inquire  if 
I  could  take  anything  down  to  Deal  for  the  captain.  A 
few  minutes  afterwards  I  was  summoned  down  to  the  cap- 
tain. I  found  him  sitting  at  his  table  with  wine  before  him. 
My  certificates,  which  the  clerk  had  before  made  out, 
were  signed,  but  my  name  was  not  inserted. 

"  I  must  have  your  name,  pilot,  to  fill  in  here." 

"  Thomas  Saunders,  Sir  James,"  replied  I. 

*'  Well,  my  lad,  you're  young  for  a  pilot ;  but  you  appear 
to  know  your  business  well,  and  you  have  brought  this 


Poor  Jiick  353 

ship  up  in  good  style.  Here  are  your  certificates,"  said  he, 
as  he  filled  in  my  name. 

I  had  my  spy-glass  in  my  hand,  and,  to  take  up  the 
certificates  and  fold  them  to  fit  them  into  my  tin  case,  I 
laid  my  glass  down  on  the  table  close  to  him.  Sir  James 
looked  at  it  as  if  surprised,  took  it  up  in  his  hand,  turned  it 
round,  and  appeared  quite  taken  aback.  He  then  looked 
at  the  brass  rim  where  the  name  had  been  erased,  and 
perceived  where  it  had  been  filed  away. 

*'  Mr  Saunders,"  said  he,  at  last,  **  if  not  taking  a  liberty, 
may  I  ask  where  you  procured  this  spy-glass  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Sir  James,  it  was  given  me  by  a  person  who  has 
been  very  kind  to  me  ever  since  I  was  a  boy." 

"  Mr  Saunders,  I  beg  your  pardon — I  do  not  ask  this 
question  out  of  mere  curiosity — I  have  seen  this  glass 
before ;  it  once  belonged  to  a  very  dear  friend  of  mine. 
Can  you  give  me  any  further  information  ?  You  said  it 
was  given  you  by " 

**  A  very  amiable  woman.  Sir  James." 

"  Did  she  ever  tell  you  how  it  came  into  her  hands  ?" 

**  She  never  did,  sir." 

"  Mr  Saunders,  oblige  me  by  sitting  down  ;  and  if  you 
can  give  me  any  information  on  this  point,  you  will  confer 
on  me  a  very  great  favour  Can  you  tell  me  what  sort  of 
a  person  this  lady  is — where  she  lives — and  what  country- 
woman she  is  ? " 

"  Yes,  Sir  James ;  I  will  first  state  that  she  is  Irish,  and 
that  she  lives  at  present  at  Greenwich."  I  then  described 
her  person. 

"  This  is  strange,  very  strange,"  said  Sir  James,  with  his 
hand  up  to  his  forehead  as  he  leant  his  elbow  on  the  table^ 

After  a  pause,  *•  Mr  Saunders,  will  you  answer  me  one 
question  candidly  ?  I  feel  I  am  not  speaking  to  a  mere 
Thames  pilot — I  do  not  wish  to  compliment,  and  if  I  did 
not  feel  as  I  state,  I  should  not  put  these  questions.  Do 
you  not  know  more  about  this  person  than  you  appear 
willing  to  divulge  ?  There  is  something  in  your  manner 
which  tells  me  so." 

P.J.  z 


354  Poor  Jack 

"  That  I  know  more  than  I  have  divulged  is  true,  Sir 
James  ;  but  that  I  know  more  than  I  am  willing  to  divulge, 
is  not  the  case,  provided  I  find  that  the  party  who  asks  the 
question  is  sufficiently  interested  to  warrant  my  so  doing." 

"  There  can  be  no  one  more  interested  than  I  am," 
replied  Sir  James,  mournfully.  "  You  tell  me  she  is  Irish 
— you  describe  a  person  such  as  I  expected  would  be 
described,  and  my  curiosity  is  naturally  excited.  May  I 
ask  what  is  her  name  ?  " 

"  The  name  that  she  goes  by  at  present  is  St  Felix." 

**  She  had  distant  relations  of  that  name  ;  it  may  be  one 

of  them — yet  how  could  they  have  obtained ?  Yes, 

they  might,  sure  enough  !  " 

"  That  is  not  her  real  name,  Sir  James." 

**  Not  her  real  name  !  Do  you  then  know  what  is  her 
real  name  ?  " 

"  I  believe  I  do,  but  I  obtained  it,  without  her  know- 
ledge, from  another  party,  who  is  since  dead." 

"  Ah  !  may  I  ask  that  name  ? " 

**  A  man  who  died  in  the  Hospital,  who  went  by  the 
name  of  Spicer,  but  whose  real  name  was  Walter  James  ; 
he  saw  the  glass  in  my  hand,  recognised  it,  and  on  his 
death-bed  revealed  all  connected  with  it ;  but  he  never 
knew  that  the  party  was  still  alive  when  he  did  so." 

"  If  Walter  James  confessed  all  to  you  on  his  death-bed, 
Mr  Saunders,  it  is  certain  that  you  can  answer  me  one 
question.     Was  not  her  real  name  Fitzgerald  ? " 

"  It  was,  Sir  James,  as  I  have  understood." 

Sir  James  O'Connor  fell  back  in  his  chair,  and  was  silent 
for  some  time.  He  then  poured  out  a  tumbler  of  wine, 
and  drank  it  off. 

**  Mr  Saunders,  do  others  know  of  this  as  well  as 
you.?" 

"  I  have  never  told  any  one,  except  to  one  old  and  dear- 
est friend,  in  case  of  accident  to  myself.  Mrs  St  Felix  is 
ignorant  of  my  knowledge,  as  well  as  others." 

**  Mr  Saunders,  that  I  am  most  deeply  interested  in  that 
person  I  pledge  you  my  honour  as  an  officer  and  a  gentle- 


Poor  Jack  355 

man.  "Will  you  now  do  me  the  favour  to  detail  all  you  do 
know  on  this  subject,  and  what  were  the  confessions  made 
you  by  that  man  Walter  James  ?  " 

**  I  have  already,  sir,  told  you  more  than  I  intended.  I 
will  be  candid  with  you  ;  so  much  do  I  respect  and  value 
the  person  in  question,  that  I  will  do  nothing  without  I 
have  your  assurance  that  it  will  not  tend  to  her  unhappi- 
ness." 

•*  Then,  on  my  honour,  if  it  turns  out  as  I  expect,  it 
will,  I  think,  make  her  the  happiest  woman  under  the  sun." 

*•  You  said  that  the  spy-glass  belonged  to  a  dear 
friend  ? " 

"  I  did,  Mr  Saunders  ;  and  if  I  find,  from  what  you  can 
tell  me,  that  Mrs  St  Felix  is  the  real  Mrs  Fitzgerald,  I 
will  produce  that  friend  and  her  husband.  Now  are  you 
satisfied  ?  " 

"  I  am,"  replied  I,  **  and  I  will  now  tell  you  everything." 

I  then  entered  into  a  detail  from  the  time  that  Mrs  St 
Felix  gave  me  the  spy-glass,  and  erased  the  name,  until 
the  death  of  Spicer.  **  I  have  now  done,  sir,"  replied  I, 
^*  and  you  must  draw  your  own  conclusions." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,"  replied  he  ;  "  allow  me  now  to  ask 
you  one  or  two  other  questions.  How  does  Mrs  St  Felix 
gain  her  livelihood,  and  what  character  does  she  bear  ?  " 

I  replied  to  the  former,  by  stating,  that  she  kept  a 
tobacconist's  shop  j  and  to  the  latter,  by  saying,  that  she 
was  a  person  of  most  unimpeachable  character,  and  highly 
respected. 

Sir  James  O'Connor  filled  a  tumbler  of  wine  for  me,  and 
then  his  own.  As  soon  as  he  had  drunk  his  own  off,  he 
said,  "  Mr  Saunders,  you  don't  know  how  you  have 
obliged  me.  I  am  excessively  anxious  about  this  matter, 
and  I  wish,  if  you  are  not  obliged  to  go  back  to  Deal 
immediately,  that  you  would  undertake  for  me  a  commission 
to  Greenwich.     Any  trouble  or  expense " 

"  I  will  do  anything  for  Mrs  St  Felix,  Sir  James  j  and  I 
shall  not  consider  trouble  or  expense,"  replied  I. 

"  Will  you  then  oblige  me  by  taking  a  letter  to  Green- 


35 6  Poor  Jack 

wich  immediately  ? — I  cannot  leave  my  ship  at  present — it 
is  impossible." 

"  Certainly  1  will,  Sir  James." 

"  And  will  you  bring  her  down  here  ?  " 

"If  she  will  come:  the  letter  I  presume  will  explain 
everything,  and  prevent  any  too  sudden  shock." 

"  You  are  right,  Mr  Saunders — and  indeed  I  am  wrong 
not  to  confide  in  you  more.  You  have  kept  her  secret  so 
well,  that,  trusting  to  your  honour,  you  shall  now  have 
mine." 

"  I  pledge  my  honour.  Sir  James." 

"  Then,  Mr  Saunders,  I  spoke  of  a  dear  friend  ;  but  the 
truth  is,  /  am  the  owner  of  that  spy-glass.  When  I 
returned  to  Ireland,  and  found  that  she  had,  as  I  supposed, 
made  away  with  herself,  as  soon  as  my  grief  had  a  little 
subsided,  I  did  perceive  that,  although  her  apparel  re- 
mained, all  her  other  articles  of  any  value  had  disappeared ; 
but  I  concluded  that  they  had  been  pillaged  by  her  relations, 
or  other  people.  I  then  entered  on  board  of  a  man-of-war, 
under  the  name  of  O'Connor,  was  put  on  the  quarter-deck, 
and  by  great  good  fortune  have  risen  to  the  station  in 
which  I  now  am.  That  is  my  secret — not  that  I  care 
about  its  being  divulged,  now  that  I  have  found  my  wife. 
I  did  nothing  to  disgrace  myself  before  I  entered  on  board 
of  a  man-of-war  j  but  having  changed  my  name,  I  do  not 
wish  it  to  be  known  that  I  ever  had  another,  until  I  can 
change  it  again  on  a  fitting  opportunity.  Now,  Mr 
Saunders,  will  you  execute  my  message  ? " 

*'  Most  joyfully.  Sir  James  ;  and  I  now  can  do  it  with 
proper  caution :  by  to-morrow  morning  I  will  be  down 
here  with  Mrs  St  Felix." 

"  You  must  post  the  whole  way,  as  hard  as  you  can^ 
there  and  back,  Mr  Saunders.  Here  is  some  money,"  said 
he,  thrusting  a  bundle  of  notes  in  my  hand,  "  you  can 
return  me  what  is  left. — Good-bye,  and  many,  many  thanks." 
"  But  where  shall  I  meet  you,  sir  ?  " 
"  Very  true ;  I  will  be  at  the  King's  Arms  Hotel, 
Chatham." 


Poor  Jack  ^S7 

I  lost  no  time ;  as  soon  as  the  boat  put  me  on  shore,  I 
hired  a  chaise,  and  posted  to  Greenwich,  where  I  arrived 
about  half-past  nine  o'clock.  I  dismissed  the  chaise  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  town,  and  walked  down  to  Mrs  St 
Felix's.  I  found  her  at  home,  as  I  expected,  and  to  my 
great  delight  the  doctor  was  not  there. 

"  Why,  Mr  Pilot,  when  did  you  come  back  ? "  said 
she. 

**  But  this  minute — I  come  from  Chatham." 

"  And  have  you  been  home  .? " 

"  No,  not  yet  j  I  thought  I  would  come  and  spend  the 
evening  with  you." 

"  With  me !  Why,  that's  something  new  j  I  don't 
suppose  you  intend  to  court  me,  do  you,  as  the  doctor 
does?" 

"  No,  but  I  wish  that  you  would  give  me  some  tea  in 
your  little  back  parlour,  and  let  Jane  mind  the  shop  in  the 
meantime." 

"  Jane's  very  busy,  Mr  Tom,  so  I'm  afraid  that  I  can't 
oblige  you." 

"  But  you  must,  Mrs  St  Felix.  I'm  determined  I  will 
not  leave  this  house  till  you  give  me  some  tea — I  want  to 
have  a  long  talk  with  you." 

"  Why,  what's  in  the  wind  now  ? " 

*•  Fm  not  in  the  wind,  at  all  events,  for  you  see  I'm  per- 
fectly sober  -,  indeed,  Mrs  St  Felix,  I  ask  it  as  a  particular 
favour.  You  have  done  me  many  kindnesses,  now  do 
oblige  me  this  time :  the  fact  is,  something  has  happened 
to  me  of  the  greatest  importance,  and  I  must  have  your 
advice  how  to  act ;  and,  in  this  instance,  I  prefer  yours  to 
that  of  any  other  person." 

**  Well,  Tom,  if  it  really  is  serious,  and  you  wish  to 
consult  me,  for  such  a  compliment  the  least  I  can  do  is  to 
give  you  a  cup  of  tea."  Mrs  St  Felix  ordered  Jane  to 
take  the  tea-things  into  the  back  parlour,  and  then  to 
attend  in  the  shop. 

"  And  pray  say  that  you  are  not  at  home,  even  to  the 
doctor." 


^^S  Poor  Jack 

"Well,  really  the  affair  looks  serious,"  replied  she, 
**  but  it  shall  be  so  if  you  wish  it." 

We  took  our  tea  before  I  opened  the  business,  for 
I  was  thinking  how  I  should  commence  :  at  last  I  put 
down  my  cup,  and  said,  "Mrs  St  Felix,  I  must  first 
acquaint  you  with  what  is  known  to  no  one  here  but 
myself."  I  then  told  her  the  history  of  old  Nanny ;  then 
I  went  on  to  Spicer's  recognition  of  the  spy-glass, — his 
attempt  to  murder  his  mother,  the  consequences,  and  the 
disclosure  on  his  death-bed. 

Mrs  St  Felix  was  much  moved. 

*'  But  why  tell  me  all  this  ? "  said  she,  at  last :  "  it 
proves,  certainly,  that  my  husband  was  not  hanged,  which 
is  some  consolation,  but  now  I  shall  be  ever  restless  until 
I  know  what  has  become  of  him — perhaps  he  still  lives." 

"  Mrs  St  Felix,  you  ask  me  why  do  I  tell  you  all  this  ? 
— I  beg  you  to  reply  to  my  question — having  known  this 
so  long,  why  have  I  not  told  you  before  ? " 

**  I  cannot  tell." 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you :  because  I  did  feel  that  such 
knowledge  as  I  had  then  would  only  make  you,  as  you 
truly  say,  unhappy  and  restless.  Nor  would  I  have  told 
you  now,  had  it  not  been  that  I  have  gained  farther  in- 
telligence on  board  of  a  frigate  which  I  this  afternoon 
took  into  the  Medway." 

Mrs  St  Felix  gasped  for  breath — "  And  what  is  that  ? " 
said  she,  faintly. 

"  The  spy-glass  was  recognised  by  a  person  on  board, 
who  told  me  that  your  husband  still  lives." 

I  ran  out  for  a  glass  of  water,  for  Mrs  St  Felix  fell 
back  in  her  chair,  as  pale  as  death. 

I  gave  her  the  water,  and  threw  some  in  her  face  :  she 
recovered,  and  put  her  handkerchief  up  to  her  eyes.  At 
first  she  was  silent,  then  sobbed  bitterly  ;  after  a  while 
she  sunk  from  the  chair  down  on  her  knees,  and  remained 
there  some  time.  When  she  rose  and  resumed  her 
seat,  she  took  my  hand  and  said,  **  You  may  tell  me  all 
now." 


Poor  Jack  359 

As  she  was  quite  calm  and  composed,  I  did  so ;  I  re- 
peated all  that  had  passed  between  Sir  James  O'Connor 
and  me,  and  ended  with  his  wish  that  I  should  accompany 
her  at  once  to  Chatham. 

"  And  now,  Mrs  St  Felix,  you  had  better  go  to  bed. 
I  told  Sir  James  that  I  would  be  down  to-morrow  morn- 
ing. I  will  come  here  at  seven  o'clock,  and  then  we  will 
go  to  the  upper  part  of  the  town  and  hire  a  chaise.  Will 
you  be  ready  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  she,  smiling.  "  Heaven  bless  you, 
Tom  !  and  now  good-night." 

I  did  not  go  to  my  mother's  but  to  an  inn  in  the  town, 
where  I  asked  for  a  bed.  In  the  morning  I  went  down. 
As  soon  as  Mrs  St  Felix  saw  me  she  came  out,  and 
followed  me  at  a  little  distance.  We  went  up  to  where 
the  chaises  were  to  be  obtained,  and  in  less  than  three 
hours  were  at  the  King's  Arms,  Chatham.  I  asked  to  be 
shown  into  a  room,  into  which  I  led  Mrs  St  Felix,  trem- 
bling like  an  aspen  leaf.  I  seated  her  on  the  sofa,  and 
then  asked  to  be  shown  into  Sir  James  O'Connor. 

"  She  is  here,  sir,"  said  I. 

"  Where  ?  " 

**  Follow  me,  Sir  James." 

I  opened  the  door  of  the  room,  and  closed  it  upon 
them. 


Chapter  XLVIII 

My  sister  Virginia  is  at  last  placed  in  a  situation  which  is  satisfactory  to 
my  mother  as  well  as  to  herself. 

I  REMAINED  Very  quietly  in  the  coffee-room  of  the  hotel,  in 
case  I  should  be  sent  for  5  which  I  presumed  I  should  be 
before  the  day  was  over.  In  the  afternoon  a  waiter  came 
to  say  that  Sir  James  O'Connor  wished  to  speak  to  me,  and 
I  was  ushered  into  his  room,  where  I  found  Mrs  St  Felix 
on  the  sofa. 

As  soon  as  the  door  was  closed.  Sir  James  took  me  by 


360  Poor  Jack 

the  hand,  and  led  me  up,  saying,  *'  Allow  me  to  introduce 
your  old  friend  as  Lady  O'Connor." 

"  My  dear  Tom,"  said  she,  taking  me  by  the  hand,  •'  I 
am  and  ever  shall  be  Mrs  St  Felix  with  you.  Come  now, 
and  sit  down.  You  will  again  have  to  take  charge  of  me, 
for  I  am  to  return  to  Greenwich,  and  leave  it  in  a  respect- 
able manner.  I  dare  say  they  have  already  reported  that  I 
have  run  away  from  my  creditors.  Sir  James  thinks  I 
must  go  back  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  give  out  that  I 
had  some  property  left  me  by  a  relation,  and  then  settle 
everything,  and  sell  the  goodwill  of  my  shop.  It  certainly 
will  be  better  than  to  give  grounds  for  the  surmises  and 
reports  which  may  take  place  at  my  sudden  disappearance, 
— not  that  I  am  very  likely  to  fall  in  with  my  old  acquaint- 
ances at  Greenwich." 

"  Don't  you  think  so,  Tom  ? — for  Tom  I  must  call  you, 
in  earnest  of  our  future  friendship,"  said  Sir  James. 

"  I  do  think  it  will  be  the  best  plan,  sir." 

"  Well  then,  you  must  convey  her  ladyship  to  Green- 
wich again  this  evening,  and  to-morrow  the  report  must  be 
spread,  and  the  next  day  you  will  be  able  to  re-escort  her 
here.  I  hope  you  feel  the  compliment  that  I  pay  you  in 
trusting  you  with  my  new-found  treasure.  Now  let  us  sit 
down  to  dinner.  Pray  don't  look  at  your  dress,  Tom  j  at 
all  events,  it's  quite  as  respectable  as  her  ladyship's." 

After  dinner  a  chaise  was  ordered,  and  Lady  O'Connor 
and  I  returned  to  Greenwich,  arriving  there  after  dark. 
We  walked  down  to  her  house :  I  then  left  her,  and 
hastened  to  my  mother's. 

"  Well,  mother,"  said  I,  after  the  first  salutations  were 
over,  "  have  you  heard  the  news  about  Mrs  St  Felix  ?  " 

"  No,  what  has  she  done  now  ? " 

**  Oh,  she  has  done  nothing,  but  a  relation  in  Ireland 
has  left  her  a  lot  of  money,  and  she  is  going  over  there 
immediately.  Whether  she  will  come  back  again  nobody 
knows." 

**  Well,  we  can  do  without  her,"  replied  my  mother, 
with  pique  j  "  I'm  very  glad  that  she's  going,  for  I  have 


Poor  Jack  361 

always  protested  at  Virginia's  being  so  intimate  with  her : 
a  tobacco  shop  is  not  a  place  for  a  young  lady." 

"  Mother,"  replied  Virginia,  "  when  we  lived  in  Fisher's 
Alley,  Mrs  St  Felix  was  above  us  in  situation." 

**  I  have  desired  you  very  often,  Virginia,  not  to  refer 
to  Fisher's  Alley,  you  know  I  do  not  like  it — the  very  best 
families  have  had  their  reverses." 

"  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  such  has  been  the  case 
with  Mrs  St  Felix,"  replied  Virginia. 

"  If  you  please,  Miss  Saunders,  we'll  drop  the  subject," 
replied  my  mother,  haughtily. 

The  news  soon  spread ;  indeed  I  walked  to  several 
places  where  I  knew  it  would  be  circulated  ;  and  before 
morning  all  Greenwich  knew  that  Mrs  St  Felix  had  been 
left  a  fortune  :  some  said  ^10,000,  others  had  magnified  it 
to  ^10,000  a  year.  When  I  called  upon  her  the  next  day, 
I  found  that  she  had  made  arrangements  for  carrying  on 
her  business  during  her  absence,  not  having  stated  that  she 
quitted  for  ever,  but  that  she  would  write  and  let  them 
know  as  soon  as  she  arrived  in  Ireland  what  her  decision 
would  be,  as  she  was  not  aware  what  might  be  the 
property  left  her.  The  doctor,  who  had  undertaken  to 
conduct  her  affairs  during  her  absence,  looked  very  woe- 
begone indeed,  and  I  pitied  him  ;  he  had  become  so  used 
to  her  company,  that  he  felt  miserable  at  the  idea  of  her 
departure,  although  all  hopes  of  ever  marrying  her  had 
long  been  dismissed  from  his  mind.  Mrs  St  Felix  told  me 
that  she  would  be  ready  that  evening,  and  I  returned  home, 
and  found  Virginia  in  tears  :  her  mother  had  again  assailed 
her  on  account  of  her  feelings  towards  Mrs  St  Felix  ;  and 
Virginia  told  me  that  she  was  crying  at  the  idea  of  Mrs  St 
Felix  going  away,  much  more  than  at  what  her  mother 
had  said  j  and  she  requested  me  to  walk  with  her  to  Mrs 
St  Felix,  that  she  might  wish  her  farewell. 

When  we  arrived,  Mrs  St  Felix  embraced  Virginia 
warmly,  and  took  her  into  the  little  back  parlour.  Virginia 
burst  into  tears.  "  You  are  the  only  friend  in  the  town 
that  I  dearly  love,"  said  she,  **  and  now  you  are  going." 


J 


62  Poor  Jack 


'*  My  dear  girl,  I  am  more  sorry  to  part  with  you  and 
Tom  than  I  can  well  express — our  pain  is  mutual,  but  we 
shall  meet  again." 

"  I  see  no  chance  of  that,"  said  Virginia,  mournfully. 

"  But  I  do ;  and  what  is  more,  I  have  thought  about  it 
since  I  have  had  the  news.  Tom,  your  sister,  of  course, 
only  knows  the  common  report  ? " 

"Of  course  she  knows  no  more  than  anybody  else." 

"  Well,  you  do,  at  all  events ;  and  I  give  you  leave,  as 
I  know  she  is  to  be  trusted,  to  confide  my  secret  to  her. 
And,  Virginia,  dear,  when  I  tell  you  that  I  shall  want  you 
to  come  and  stay  with  me,  and  shall  arrange  accordingly, 
after  you  have  heard  what  your  brother  has  to  tell  to  you, 
you  will  understand  that  we  may  meet  again.  Good-bye, 
and  God  bless  you,  dearest  j — go  away  now,  for  I  have 
much  to  do." 

When  I  told  to  Virginia  what  the  reader  is  well  acquainted 
with,  her  joy  was  excessive.  *'  Yes,"  said  she,  "  I  see 
now ;  my  mother  is  so  anxious  that  I  should  be  taken  into 
some  grand  family  as  a  companion  ;  and  when  Lady 
O'Connor  agrees  to  receive  me,  she  will  never  have  an  idea 
that  it  is  Mrs  St  Felix ;  if  she  had,  nothing  would  induce 
her  to  let  me  go,  that  I  am  sure  of ;  for  she  has  taken  an 
aversion  to  her,  for  reasons  known  only  to  herself." 

I  returned  to  Mrs  St  Felix's  house,  as  soon  as  I  had 
escorted  Virginia  home,  leaving  her  very  happy.  The 
doctor  was  there,  mute  and  melancholy ;  and  I  was  think- 
ing that  we  should  have  some  difficulty  in  getting  rid  of 
him,  when  Tom  made  his  appearance. 

"If  you  please,  sir,"  said  he,  "Mrs  Fallover  wants  you 
immediately  :  she's  taken  very  bad." 

"  I  can't  help  it." 

"  Indeed,  but  you  must  help  it,  doctor,"  said  Mrs  St 
Felix ;  "  the  poor  woman  is,  as  you  know,  in  her  first 
confinement,  and  you  must  not  neglect  her,  so  let's  say 
good-bye  at  once,  and  a  happy  return.  I  asked  Tom  to 
come  down,  that  I  might  call  upon  his  sister  and  one  or 
two  other  people,  before  I  go ;  so  you  see,  doctor,  as  you 


Poor  Jack  363 

can't  go  with  me,  you  may  just  as  well  go  and  attend  to 
the  poor  woman ;  so,  good-bye,  Doctor  Tadpole,  I  will 
write  to  you  as  soon  as  I  know  v/hat  I'm  to  do." 

The  doctor  took  her  hand,  and  after  a  pause,  said,  *'  Mrs 
St  Felix,  Eheuy  me  itifelix  !  "  and  hastened  out  of  the  shop. 

"  Poor  fellow  !  "  said  she,  *'  he'll  miss  me,  and  that's  the 
truth.  Good-bye,  Jane ;  mind  you  look  after  everything 
till  I  come  back,  and  take  care  of  the  dog  and  cat.  Come, 
Tom,  we'll  go  now." 

I  threw  her  trunk  on  my  shoulders,  and  followed  her 
till  we  came  to  the  post-house  :  the  chaise  was  ordered  out, 
and  we  set  off. 

"  Tom,"  said  Lady  O'Connor,  as  I  again  call  her,  now 
that  she  is  clear  of  Greenwich,  "  there  is  one  portion  of 
my  history  which  you  do  not  know — a  very  trifling  part 
indeed.  When  I  saw  in  the  newspapers  that  my  husband 
had,  as  I  supposed,  been  executed,  I  am  ashamed  to  say 
that  I  first  thought  of  suicide  j  but  my  better  feelings  pre- 
vailed, and  I  then  resolved  to  change  my  name,  and  to  let 
people  suppose  that  I  was  dead.  It  was  for  that  reason  that 
I  left  my  bonnet  by  the  river-side,  and  all  my  apparel  in  the 
house,  only  taking  away  a  few  trinkets  and  valuables,  to 
dispose  of  for  my  future  subsistence.  I  obtained  a  passage 
in  a  transport  bound  to  Woolwich,  on  the  plea  of  my 
husband  having  arrived  from  abroad  ;  and,  by  mere 
accident,  I  found  the  goodwill  of  the  tobacconist's  shop  to 
be  sold ;  it  suited  me — and  there  is  the  whole  of  my  history 
which  you  do  not  know. 

•*  And  now,  as  to  Virginia — I  intend  to  have  her  with 
me  very  soon.  Your  mother  is  anxious  that  she  should  get 
into  a  high  family,  trusting  that  her  beauty  will  captivate 
some  of  the  members — a  bad  kind  of  speculation.  I  will 
advertise  for  a  companion,  and  so  arrange  that  your  mother 
shall  not  see  me ;  and  when  your  sister  does  come  to  me, 
it  shall  not  be  as  a  companion,  but  as  a  child  of  my  own. 
I  owe  you  much,  Tom, — indeed  almost  everything ;  and  it 
is  the  only  way  in  which  I  can  repay  you.  I  have  already 
spoken  to  Sir  James  on  the  subject :  he  is  equally  ready  to 


364  Poor  Jack 

pay  the  debt  of  gratitude,  and  therefore  in  future  Virginia 
is  our  adopted  child." 

"  You  are  more  than  repaying  me.  Lady  O'Connor," 
replied  I,  **  and  you  are  obliging  me  in  the  quarter  where  I 
feel  the  obligation  the  greatest." 

"  That  I  believe,  Tom ;  so  now  say  no  more  about  it." 

I  may  as  well  here  inform  the  reader  that  I  remained  a 
week  at  Chatham,  and  that  during  that  time  Lady  O'Connor 
put  an  advertisement  in  the  county  paper,  such  as  we  knew 
would  be  a  bait  to  my  mother.  This  paper  I  forwarded 
to  Virginia,  marking  the  advertisement.  My  mother 
immediately  replied  to  it,  and  Sir  James  O'Connor  went  up 
to  Greenwich,  and  had  an  interview  with  my  mother  and 
Virginia,  at  apartments  he  had  taken  at  the  hotel — ap- 
peared pleased  with  my  sister,  and  said  that  as  soon  as 
Lady  O'Connor  was  sufficiently  recovered  she  would  send 
for  her  to  Chatham.  This  took  place  in  two  days  after- 
wards ;  my  mother  escorted  Virginia  there.  Sir  James 
stated  that  her  Ladyship  was  too  unwell  to  see  anybody, 
but  that  she  would  speak  a  few  words  to  Virginia,  and 
leave  Sir  James  to  settle  the  rest  with  my  mother. 
Virginia  came  down  to  her  mother,  declared  that  Lady 
O'Connor  was  a  very  ladylike  elegant  person,  and  that  she 
should  wish  to  take  the  situation.  The  terms  were  hand- 
some, and  my  mother,  although  she  regretted  not  seeing 
her  Ladyship,  was  satisfied,  and  Virginia  was  to  come  in 
two  days  afterwards,  which  she  did.  Thus  was  my  sister 
comfortably  settled,  and,  after  remaining  two  days,  I  took 
my  leave  of  Sir  James  and  Lady  O'Connor,  intending  to 
return  to  Deal,  when  I  received  a  letter  from  Peter 
Anderson,  informing  me  that  old  Nanny  had  been  suddenly 
taken  very  ill,  and  that  Doctor  Tadpole  did  not  think  it 
possible  that  she  would  survive  more  than  twenty-four 
hours — that  she  was  very  anxious  to  see  me,  and  that  he 
hoped  I  would  come  up  immediately. 

I  showed  the  letter  to  Lady  O'Connor,  who  said,  "  You 
will  go,  of  course,  Tom." 

"Immediately,"  replied  I,  "and   the   more  so  as   this 


Poor  Jack  ^6$ 

le'cter  is  dated  three  days  back ;  how  it  has  been  delayed  I 
do  not  know.  Farewell,  Lady  O'Connor ;  and  farewell, 
dearest  Virginia.  Old  Nanny,  as  you  both  know,  has 
many  claims  upon  my  gratitude." 


Chapter  XLIX 

My  father,  much  to  his  surprise,  has  a  bit  of  land  to  put  his  foot  upon, 
and  say,  "  This  is  my  own." 

"  You're  too  late,  Tom,"  said  Ben  the  Whaler,  as  I 
jumped  down  from  off  the  basket  of  the  coach;  "the 
old  woman  died  last  night." 

*'  I'm  sorry  for  it,  Ben,"  replied  I,  "  as  she  wished  so 
much  to  see  me ;  but  I  did  not  receive  Anderson's  letter 
till  this  morning,  and  I  could  not  get  here  sooner." 

This  intelligence  induced  me  to  direct  my  course  to 
the  Hospital,  where  I  had  no  doubt  that  I  should  find 
old  Anderson,  and  obtain  every  information.  I  met  him 
as  he  was  walking  towards  the  bench  on  the  terrace 
facing  the  river,  where  he  usually  was  seated  when  the 
weather  was  fine.  "Well,  Tom,"  said  he,  "I  expected 
you,  and  did  hope  that  you  would  have  been  here  sooner. 
Come,  sit  down  here,  and  I  will  give  you  the  information 
which  I  know  you  have  most  at  your  heart.  The  old 
woman  made  a  very  happy  end.  I  was  with  her  till  she 
died.  She  left  many  kind  wishes  for  you,  and  I  think 
her  only  regret  was  that  she  did  not  see  you  before  she 
was  called  away." 

"Poor  old  Nanny  !  she  had  suffered  much." 

"  Yes,  and  there  are  great  excuses  to  be  made  for  her  -, 
and  as  we  feel  so  here,  surely  there  will  be  indulgence 
from  above,  where  the  secrets  of  all  hearts  are  known. 
She  was  not  insane,  Tom ;  but  from  the  time  that  she 
supposed  that  her  son  had  been  gibbeted,  there  was 
something  like  insanity  about  her :  the  blow  had  oppressed 


366  Poor  Jack 

her  brain, — it  had  stupefied  her,  and  blunted  her  moral 
sense  of  right  and  wrong.  She  told  me,  after  you  had 
communicated  to  her  that  her  son  was  in  the  Hospital, 
and,  had  died  penitent,  that  she  felt  as  if  a  heavy  weight 
had  been  taken  off  her  mind ;  that  she  had  been  rid  of  an 
oppression  which  had  ever  borne  down  her  faculties, — a 
sort  of  giddiness  and  confusion  in  the  brain,  which  had 
made  her  indifferent,  if  not  reckless,  to  everything ;  and 
I  do  believe  it,  from  the  change  which  took  place  in  her 
during  the  short  time  which  has  since  elapsed." 

*'  What  change  was  that  ?  for  you  know  that  I  have 
been  too  busy  during  the  short  intervals  I  have  been  here 
to  call  upon  her." 

"  A  change  in  her  appearance  and  manners  :  she  appeared 
to  recover  in  part  her  former  position  in  life  j  she  was 
always  clean  in  her  person,  as  far  as  she  could  be  in  such 
a  shop  as  hers, — and  if  she  had  nothing  else,  she  always 
had  a  clean  cap  and  apron." 

♦'Indeed?" 

*•  Yes  J  and  on  Sundays  she  dressed  very  neat  and  tidy. 
She  did  not  go  to  church,  but  she  purchased  a  large  Bible 
and  a  pair  of  spectacles,  and  was  often  to  be  seen  reading 
it  at  the  door  5  and  when  I  talked  to  her,  she  was  glad 
to  enter  upon  serious  things.  I  spoke  to  her  about  her 
fondness  for  money,  and  pointed  out  that  it  was  a  sin. 
She  replied,  that  she  did  feel  very  fond  of  money  for 
a  long  while,  for  she  always  thought  that  some  one  was 
nigh  her  snatching  at  it,  and  had  done  so  ever  since  her 
son  had  robbed  her  -,  but  that  since  she  knew  what  had 
become  of  him,  she  did  not  feel  fond  of  it, — that  is,  not 
so  fond  of  it  as  before ;  and  I  believe  that  such  was  the 
case.  Her  love  of  money  arose  from  her  peculiar  state 
of  mind.  She  had  many  comforts  about  her  house  when 
she  died,  which  were  not  in  it  when  I  called  to  see  her 
at  the  time  when  she  was  first  ill :  but  her  purchasing 
the  large  Bible  on  account  of  the  print  was  to  me  a  satis- 
factory proof  that  she  had  no  longer  such  avaricious 
feelings." 


Poor  Jack  367 

*'I  am  very  glad  to  hear  all  this,  Anderson,  I  assure 
you,  for  she  was  one  of  my  earliest  friends,  and  I  loved 
her." 

"  Not  more  than  she  loved  you,  Tom.  Her  last  words 
almost  were  calling  down  blessings  on  your  head  ;  and, 
thanks  be  to  God !  she  died  as  a  Christian  should  die, 
and,  I  trust,  is  now  happy." 

"  Amen  !  "  said  I ;  for  I  was  much  moved  at  Anderson's 
discourse. 

After  a  pause,  Anderson  said,  '*  You  know,  Tom,  that 
she  has  left  you  all  that  she  had.  She  told  me  before,  that 
such  was  her  intention,  although  I  said  nothing  to  you 
about  it ;  but  I  thought  it  as  well  that  Mr  Wilson  should 
make  out  a  paper  for  her  to  put  her  name  to,  which  she 
did  :  Ben  and  I  witnessed  it ;  but  as  for  what  she  has  left 
you,  I  cannot  imagine  it  can  be  much,  for  we  examined, 
and  found  no  money  except  about  ^^7  in  two  small  boxes  ; 
and  then  in  her  will  she  has  left  your  sister  Virginia  j^  I  o ; 
now  when  that  comes  to  be  paid,  I'm  sure  I  don't  knov/ 
whether  the  things  in  the  shop  will  fetch  so  much  money 
as  will  pay  your  sister's  legacy,  and  the  expenses  of  her 
funeral." 

"  It's  of  no  consequence,"  replied  I,  smiling  5  "  but  we 
shall  see.  At  all  events,  all  her  debts  shall  be  paid,  and 
her  funeral  shall  be  decent  and  respectable.  Good-bye 
now,  Anderson,  I  must  go  up  and  see  my  mother." 

Old  Nanny's  remains  were  consigned  to  the  tomb  on  the 
following  Monday.  Her  funeral  was,  as  I  had  desired  it 
to  be,  very  respectable,  and  she  was  followed  to  the  grave 
by  Anderson,  my  father,  Ben,  and  me.  As  soon  as  it 
was  over,  I  requested  Anderson  to  walk  with  me  to  Mr 
Wilson's. 

"  I'm  afraid,  Tom,"  said  Mr  Wilson,  "you'll  find,  like 
a  great  many  other  residuary  legatees,  that  you've  not 
gained  much  by  the  compliment." 

**  Nevertheless,  will  you  oblige  me  by  walking  down 
with  Anderson  and  me  to  her  house  ? " 

**  And  take  off  the  seals,  I  presume,  in  your  presence  ; 


^6S  Poor  Jack 

but  the  fact  is,  Tom,  that  not  thinking  the  property  quite 
safe  there,  even  under  seal,  I  have  kept  it  all  in  my  own 
pocket." 

"  Nevertheless,  oblige  me  by  coming  down." 

"  Oh,  with  all  my  heart,  since  you  do  not  like  to  take 
possession  unless  in  due  form." 

As  soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  hovel,  I  went  into  the  bed- 
room, and  threw  open  the  window.  I  then,  to  their  great 
astonishment,  went  to  the  fire-grate, — threw  out  some 
rubbish  which  was  put  into  it, — pulled  up  the  iron  back, 
and  removed  the  bricks.  In  a  short  time  I  produced  two 
small  boxes,  one  of  them  very  heavy.  There  was  nothing 
else  in  the  hole. 

"  Here,"  said  I,  "  Mr  Wilson,  is  a  portion  of  the  pro- 
perty which  you  have  overlooked." 

"  No  wonder,"  replied  he  :  "  pray  let  us  see  what  it  is." 

I  opened  the  boxes,  and,  to  their  surprise,  made  up  in  a 
variety  of  packages,  I  counted  out  gold  coin  to  the  amount 
of  j^420. 

"Not  a  bad  legacy,"  said  Mr  Wilson.  **Then  you 
knew  of  this." 

"  Of  course ;  I  have  known  it  some  time — ever  since 
the  attempt  to  rob  her." 

*'  But  what  are  those  papers  .''  " 

On  one  was  written  *'  Arsenic — Poison ;  " — on  the  other, 
**  Receipt  for  Toothache." 

"  Nothing  of  any  value,"  said  I,  "  by  the  outside."  I 
opened  them,  and  found,  to  my  surprise,  bank  notes  to  the 
exact  amount  of  ^^200. 

"  Well,  I  declare,"  said  I,  smiling,  "  I  had  nearly  thrown 
all  this  money  away." 

"  And  now  you  see  what  induced  the  old  woman  to 
write  those  labels  on  the  outside  of  it ; — in  case  she  should 
be  robbed,  that  the  robbers  might  have  thrown  the  papers 
away — as  you  nearly  did, — and  as  very  probably  they  might 
have  done." 

"  Well,  Mr  Wilson,  I  have  no  further  search  to  make. 
Will  you  oblige  me  by  taking  care  of  this  money  for  me  ?  " 


Poor  Jack  369 

"  Yes — that  is,  if  you'll  carry  the  gold,,  which  is  rather 
heavy,  up  to  my  house,  and  then  I  will  give  you  a '  receipt 
for  the  whole." 

Anderson  then  left  us,  and  I  followed  Mr  Wilson  home. 
As  soon  as  the  money  was  all  re-counted,  and  a  note  made 
of  it,  Mr  Wilson  asked  me  what  I  wished  that  he  should 
do  with  it.  I  replied,  what  was  the  truth, — that  I  really 
did  not  know  what  to  do  with  it,  but  still  I  should  like  to 
lay  it  out  in  something  tangible. 

**  You  want  to  buy  a  farm,  I  suppose,  and  be  a  landed 
proprietor,  like  Bramble ;  but  I'm  afraid  there  is  not 
enough.  But  I  tell  you  what,  Tom — we  lawyers  know 
many  things  which  do  not  come  to  everybody's  ears ;  and 
I  know  that  the  proprietor  of  the  house  in  which  your 
mother  lives,  wishes  to  sell  it  j  and  I  think,  as  he  is  much 
pinched  for  money,  that  this  sum  will  about  buy  it.  Now 
your  mother  pays  fifty-five  guineas  a  year  for  it,  and  if  it 
sells  for  ^600,  that  will  give  you  more  than  nine  per  cent, 
for  your  money.     What  do  you  think  ?  " 

*'Well,  sir,  I  think  it's  the  very  best  thing  I  can  do; 
if  more  should  be  necessary,  I  have  saved  a  little  besides, 
which  Bramble  takes  care  of." 

*'  Well,  then,  I'll  see  about  it." 

A  few  days  afterwards  Mr  Wilson  told  me  that 
the  house  was  to  be  had  for  ;^56o,  and  that  he  had 
closed  the  bargain. 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,"  replied  I.  "  Since  I  have  been  with 
you  I  have  been  thinking  about  it,  and  I  wish  now  you 
would  make  it  over  to  my  father  for  his  life.  You  see,  sir, 
my  father  does  put  my  mother  to  some  expense,  and  I 
should  like  him  to  be  more  independent  of  her.  If  the 
house  belongs  to  him,  the  rent  will  more  than  meet  any 
demands  he  may  make  upon  her  purse — and  it  will  be 
pleasant  for  both  parties — and  my  mother  will  pay  more 
respect  to  my  father." 

"I  shall  do  it  with  pleasure,  Tom.  You  deserve  money, 
for  you  make  a  good  use  of  it — I  must  say  that.  Come  to 
me  to-morrow." 

P.J.  2  A 


370  Poor  Jack 

The  next  day  I  went  to  my  father,  and  gave  hun  the 
deed  by  which  he  was  owner  of  my  mother's  house. 
••Well,  now,  Tom,"  said  he,  after  I  had  explained  why 
I  did  so,  *•  this  is  the  kindest  thing  that  ever  was  done,  and 
God  bless  you,  boy,  and  a  thousand  thanks.  I  shan't  mind 
now  calling  for  two  extra  pots  of  porter  when  I  have 
friends — and  I  say,  Tom,  is  the  garden  mine  too  ? " 

*'  Yes,  and  summer-house,  father,  all  your  own 
property." 

••Well,  then,"  replied  he,  chuckling,  "I  have  a  bit  of 
land  of  my  own  to  stick  my  timber  toe  on  after  all.  Well, 
I  never  did  expect  that.  I  must  go  up  there,  and  stand 
upon  it,  and  feel  how  I  feel." 

I  communicated  to  my  mother  that  my  father  was  in 
future  her  landlord,  at  which  she  expressed  much  surprise, 
until  I  told  her  how  I  became  possessed  of  the  money. 
When  my  father  came  in,  which  he  did  shortly  after, 
she  said  rather  sharply — 

••Well,  Mr  Saunders,  I  suppose  I  must  pay  you  my 
rent  now  every  quarter  ? " 

"Pay  me!"  exclaimed  my  father;  "come,  not  so  bad 
as  that,  neither.  Hav'n't  you  found  me  in  beer,  without  a 
grumble,  for  these  many  years,  and  do  you  think  I've 
forgotten  it  ?  No,  no  !  You've  been  a  kind  woman  to 
me  after  all,  although  things  did  go  a  little  cross  at  first, 
and  so  here's  the  paper  for  you  to  keep  for  me  j  and  there's 
an  end  of  the  matter,  only " 

•'  Only  what  ? "  inquired  my  mother,  looking  very  kindly 
at  my  father. 

••  Only  let's  have  a  pot  of  beer  now,  to  drink  Tom's 
health— that's  all." 

Having  thus  satisfactorily  settled  this  point,  I  returned 
to  Chatham.  I  had  promised  to  take  a  farewell  of  my 
sister  and  the  O'Connors,  as  I  expected  they  would  leave 
previous  to  my  again  coming  up  the  river. 


Poor  Jack  371 


Chapter  L 

An  adventure  which  at  first  promised  to  be  the  most  unfortunate,  and 
eventually  proved  the  most  fortunate  in  my  life. 

As  Sir  James  O'Connor  would  have  to  remain  at  least  a 
fortnight  longer  at  Chatham,  until  his  ship  was  paid  off,  I 
made  Lady  O'Connor  promise  to  write  to  me,  and  then 
started  for  Deal.  I  found  Bramble  and  Bessy  as  usual, 
delighted  to  see  me,  and  Mrs  Maddox  was  as  talkative  as 
ever.  I  received  a  letter  from  Lady  O'Connor,  and  also 
one  from  Dr  Tadpole,  written  at  the  request  of  my  father, 
informing  me  that  by  a  letter  from  Mrs  St  Felix,  there  was 
little  prospect  of  her  return  to  Greenwich.  I  had  not 
been  a  week  at  Deal,  when  a  large  ship  dropped  her 
anchor  in  the  Downs,  and  made  the  signal  for  a  pilot. 

"Well,  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  "I  think  I  shall  take  a 
turn  now,  for  I  want  to  go  up  and  see  old  Anderson," 

"  I  will  take  her  through,  if  you  please,  father ;  and 
you  may  go  as  a  passenger.  You  don't  want  money,  and 
I  do." 

"  All's  right,  Tom  ; — well,  then,  I'll  go  as  a  passenger, 
and  you  shall  be  pilot." 

"  Why  must  you  go  at  all,  father  ?  Why  not  go  to 
Greenwich  by  the  stage?"  exclaimed  Bessy.  "When 
will  you  leave  off,  my  dear  father  ?  Surely  you've  enough 
now,  and  might  let  Tom  go  without  you." 

"  Quite  enough  money,  but  not  quite  enough  ot  the 
salt  water  yet,  Bessy,"  replied  Bramble ;  "  and  when  I 
do  travel,  I  woa't  go  by  land,  when  I  can  sail  under 
canvas." 

"Well,  you  may  go  this  time,  father,  but  this  Is  the 
last :  if  you  won't  leave  off,  I  will  not  stay  here,  that's 
positive ;  so  when  you  come  on  shore  some  fine  day, 
you  may  expect  to  find  me  absent  without  leave." 

"  Very  well ;  then  I'll  send  Tom  to  look  after  you : 
he'll  soon  bring  you  back  again." 


'^'jl  Poor  Jack 

"  Tom  !  he  woulda't  take  the  trouble  to  look  after  me.** 

"  Very  true,"  replied  I,  **  every  woman  who  requires 
looking  after  is  not  worth  the  trouble  ;  but  I've  no  fear 
but  we  shall  find  you  when  we  come  back." 

**Tom,  I  hate  you,"  replied  Bessy.  "Why  do  you 
not  join  me  in  persuading  father  to  stay  on  shore  ?  " 

"  Well,  if  you  hate  me,  Bessy,  it  proves,  at  all  events, 
that  I'm  not  indifferent  to  you,"  said  I,  laughing  j  "but 
really  and  truly,  Bessy,  I  do  not  consider  there  is  any 
very  great  risk  in  your  father  going  up  the  river  with 
me,  as  he  will  be  in  smooth  water  before  dark." 

*'  Well,  but,  allowing  that,  why  should  father  go  at  all?" 

"I  want  to  see  old  Anderson,  my  love,"  replied 
Bramble,  taking  his  pipe  out  of  his  mouth. 

*•  Yes,  and  if  you  once  begin  again,  you'll  not  leave  ofF 
— ^I  know  it  well :  you  will  never  come  home  except  to 
get  clean  linen,  and  be  off  again  j  and  I  shall  be  in  a 
constant  state  of  alarm  and  misery.  How  selfish  of  you, 
father  !  You  had  better  by  far  have  left  me  to  drown 
on  the  Goodwin  Sands — it  would  have  been  more  kind," 
replied  Bessy,  weeping. 

"  Bessy,"  said  Bramble,  "  it's  my  opinion  that  you  are 
in  love." 

"  In  love  !  "  cried  Bessy,  colouring  to  her  throat. 

"  Yes,  in  love,  my  dear  j  or  you  would  not  talk  such 
nonsense." 

"If  loving  you  as  my  father  is  being  in  love,  I  am, 
unfortunately." 

"  That's  only  half  of  the  story ;  now  give  us  the  other," 
said  Bramble,  smiling. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  inquired  Bessy,  turning  to 
him. 

"  Why,  how  do  you  love  Tom  ?  " 

*'  Not  half  so  much  as  I  love  her,"  said  I. 

*'  Well,  if  that's  the  case,"  replied  Bramble,  "  we  may 
as  well  publish  the  banns  j  for  Bessy's  in  love  right  over 
the  ankles." 

"  Father,  this  may  be   very  pleasant  mockery ;    but   I 


Poor  Jack  ^^^i 

think  it  is  not  kind  to  breed  ill-will  between  those  who 
live  under  the  same  roof.  Now,  you  may  go  away  j  and 
if  the  knowledge  that  you  have  made  me  unhappy  will 
add  to  the  pleasure  of  your  journey,  I  can  assure  you 
that  you  have  succeeded."  Bessy  having  said  this,  im- 
mediately left  the  room  and  went  upstairs. 

"  Well,"  said  Bramble,  after  a  pause,  *'  Fm  glad  that 
I  never  was  in  love ;  for  people  so  situated  do  make 
themselves  very  silly,  that's  a  fact.  Tom,  if  you're  going, 
it's  time  to  be  off." 

"  Why — "  replied  I,  hesitatingly. 

**  I  know — but  I  tell  you,  Tom,  no  such  thing.  She'll 
have  a  good  cry,  and  then  she'll  come  down  as  well  as 
ever.     Leave  her  alone,  till  we  come  back." 

Bramble  and  I  then  left  the  cottage,  jumped  into  the 
galley,  and  were  soon  on  board  of  the  ship. 

On  our  arrival  on  board  we  found  that  the  vessel  was 
a  Dutch  Indiaman,  which  had  been  captured  by  one  of 
our  cruisers  on  her  voyage  home  from  Java.  She  was 
laden  very  deeply  with  cinnamon,  nutmegs,  cloves,  and 
other  spices,  besides  pepper,  and  was  valued  at  ^400,000 
sterling.  She  had  come  home  from  the  island  of  St 
Helena,  with  convoy,  and  was  now  proceeding  up  the 
river,  to  be  given  in  charge  of  the  prize  agents  in  London. 
Not  only  her  hold,  but  even  her  main-deck,  as  far  aft 
as  the  main-mast,  was  filled  up  with  her  cargo  ;  in  short, 
she  was  a  very  valuable  prize,  and  although  when  I  came 
on  board  the  pepper  made  me  sneeze  for  ten  minutes,  the 
officer  in  charge  told  me  very  truly  that  she  was  a  prize 
"not  to  be  sneezed  at."  She  was  manned  by  a  lieutenant 
and  eighteen  men,  belonging  to  the  frigate  which  had 
captured  her — hardly  sufficient  for  so  large  a  vessel,  but 
no  more  could  be  spared. 

"We'll  up  anchor  as  soon  as  you  please,  pilot,"  said  the 
lieutenant,  "  for  I  shall  not  be  sorry  to  get  rid  of  my 
charge,  I  assure  you." 

"I  don't  doubt  you,  sir,"  replied  Bramble — "Well, 
you've  not  much  farther  to  go." 


374  Poor  Jack 

We  weighed  with  the  young  flood ;  the  weather  was 
fine,  but,  as  usual  at  that  time  of  the  year,  thick  fogs 
prevailed.  We  had,  however,  a  leading  wind,  and  had 
well  rounded  the  North  Foreland,  and  entered  the  Queen's 
Channel,  when  it  came  on  very  thick. 

**  Tom,  have  you  the  bearings?"  said  Bramble;  "if 
not,  take  them  at  once,  for  the  fog  will  soon  be  over  the 
land." 

"  I  have  them,"  replied  I,  "  and  we  may  as  well  put 
them  down  on  the  log-board  : — North  Foreland  Light 
N.N.W.  \  W.  Why,  we  should  see  the  Tongue  buoy. 
Now  we'll  drop  the  anchor  and  furl  the  sails,  if  you  please, 
sir — we  can  do  nothing  at  present."  We  did  so  :  the  fog 
came  on  thicker  than  before,  and  with  it  a  drizzling  rain 
and  wind  from  the  S.  At  dusk  there  was  no  change,  or 
prospect  of  it.  The  men  went  down  to  supper,  and  the 
watch  was  set.  Bramble  and  I  did  not  turn  in :  we  laid 
down  on  the  lockers  of  the  cabin,  and  every  now  and  then 
went  on  deck  to  see  how  the  weather  was.  About  eleven 
o'clock  we  were  awakened  by  a  noise  :  we  both  started  up, 
and  went  on  deck.  To  our  surprise  it  was  full  of  men — 
we  had  been  boarded  by  a  French  privateer,  and  they  had 
gained  possession  of  the  deck  without  any  alarm  being 
given,  for  the  men  who  had  the  watch  had  sheltered 
themselves  from  the  rain  down  the  hatchway. 

As  soon  as  we  came  up,  we  were  collared  and  seized. 

"  Pilot,"  said  Bramble. 

"  Pilot,"  said  I. 

They  then  asked  us  in  English,  how  many  men  were  on 
board. 

As  it  was  no  use  concealing  the  fact,  we  replied :  a 
portion  of  the  privateer's  men  then  went  down,  and 
surprised  them  all  in  their  beds.  In  about  five  minutes 
they  came  up  again,  leading  the  lieutenant  and  his  men,  in 
their  shirts.  By  the  directions  of  the  French  captain  they 
were  immediately  passed  over  the  side  into  the  privateer, 
and  Bramble  and  I  were  the  only  two  Englishmen  left  on 
board  of  the  ship. 


Poor  Jack  375 

The  French  captain  then  asked  us  if  we  knew  where  we 
were  ;  and  whether  there  was  any  danger.  We  replied 
that  we  were  among  the  sands,  and  that  it  would  be 
difficult  to  get  her  out  of  them  with  that  wind,  and 
impossible  until  the  tide  turned. 

"  When  will  the  tide  turn  ? "  said  the  captain. 

**  In  an  hour  or  less  ?  "  replied  Bramble,  appealing  to  me. 

I  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

•*  Well,  then,  you  will  take  this  vessel  clear  of  the 
shoals,  my  men ;  and  if  you  do  not,  your  lives  are  worth 
nothing : — hold  pistols  to  their  heads,"  continued  he  to  the 
officer,  "and  the  moment  that  the  ship  touches,  blow  their 
brains  out." 

Here  Bramble,  to  my  astonishment,  went  on  his  knees. 
**  Spare  our  lives,"  said  he,  "  and  we  will  take  the  vessel 
safe  to  the  French  coast ; "  at  the  same  time  he  gave  me  a 
pinch. 

**  If  you  do  not  you  shall  not  live  a  minute,"  said  the 
captain  (another  pinch  from  Bramble).  I  now  understood 
him,  and  I  also  went  down  on  my  knees,  and  pretended  to 
cry.  "We  can't  take  her  out  if  this  weather  lasts,"  said 
I,  whimpering.     "It's  impossible." 

"  No,  no  !  not  if  this  weather  lasts,"  said  Bramble,  "  but 
as  soon  as  it  changes  we  will  do  it." 

**  Very  well,  so  long  as  you  do  it  when  you  can,  that  is 
all  I  ask.  Now,"  said  he  to  the  officer  he  had  before 
addressed,  "  you'll  have  twenty  men — keep  a  sharp  look 
out — and  don't  lose  a  moment  in  getting  under  weigh  as 
soon  as  you  can." 

The  captain  then  returned  to  the  privateer  with  the  rest 
of  the  men,  leaving  the  ship  in  charge  of  the  prize-master. 
The  privateer  was  boomed  off;  but  whether  she  dropped 
her  anchor  near  to  us,  or  remained  under  weigh,  I  could 
not  tell.  The  men  who  had  held  the  pistols  to  our  heads 
now  went  away  with  the  others,  to  plunder,  according  to 
the  manners  and  customs  of  all  privateer's-men,  of  what- 
ever nation  they  may  happen  to  be.  Bramble  and  I  walked 
aft. 


376  Poor  Jack 

"  Pinned  once  more,  by  all  that's  blue !  well,  it  can't  be 
helped — but  we're  not  in  a  French  prison  yet." 

"Why  did  you  go  down  on  your  knees  to  those  fellows?" 
said  I,  rather  sulkily. 

"Why,  because  I  wished  them  to  think  we  were 
chicken-hearted,  and  that  we  should  not  be  watched — and 
might  have  a  chance — who  knows  ? " 

"  Two  against  twenty  are  heavy  odds,"  replied  I. 

*,*  That  depends  upon  whether  you  trust  to  your  head  or 
your  arms.  It  must  be  head  work  this  time.  You  see,  Tom, 
we  have  so  far  a  chance,  that  we  cannot  weigh  till  it  clears 
up — they  know  that  as  well  as  we  do.  I'm  pretty  sure  it 
will  be  thick  all  to-morrow,  and  perhaps  longer ;  so  you 
see  something  may  turn  up  by  that  time.  We  are  well  in, 
and  right  in  the  Channel,  for  vessels  up  or  down — I  say 
again  we  are  not  in  a  French  prison  yet.  They  can't  take 
her  out  of  this — we  must  do  it ;  and  we  may  run  on  shore 
if  we  like :  and  I  tell  you  what,  Tom,  if  it  wasn't  for 
Bessy,  I'd  just  as  soon  that  my  brains  should  be  blown  out 
as  that  these  French  fellows  should  take  such  a  rich  prize. 
Now  let's  go  below — we  mustn't  be  seen  talking  together 
too  much  J  but  look  out  sharp,  Tom,  and  watch  my 
motions." 

The  officer  who  had  charge  of  the  vessel  now  came  on 
deck,  and  looked  round  him :  he  could  speak  English 
sufficient  to  carry  on  a  conversation.  The  weather  was 
very  thick,  and  the  rain  drove  down  with  the  wind ;  he 
saw  that  it  was  impossible  that  the  ship  could  be  moved. 
He  told  us  that  we  should  have  a  hundred  guineas  each 
and  our  liberty  if  we  took  the  ship  safe  either  to  Ostend 
or  any  French  port.  We  replied  that  we  should  be  very 
glad  to  do  so,  as  it  would  be  ten  times  as  much  as  we 
should  have  received  for  piloting  her  up  the  Thames  ;  and 
then  we  went  down  below.  In  the  meantime  the  men 
were  sent  for  on  deck,  divided  into  watches,  and  when  the 
watch  was  set  the  others  went  down  below  again.  After 
taking  a  glass  or  two  of  wine,  for  the  Frenchmen  had  soon 
rummaged  out  what  there  was  to  be  drank  in  the  cabin, 


Poor  Jack  ^^^y 

Bramble  and  I  returned  on  deck.  "We  found  the  French- 
men in  charge  of  the  watch  diligent :  one  was  looking  out 
forward — another  at  the  tafFrail ;  the  remaining  three  were 
walking  the  deck.  Bramble  went  to  the  gangway,  and  I 
followed  him. 

"  Tom,  I  see  the  hatchway  grating  is  on  deck — I  only 
wish  we  once  had  them  all  beneath  it." 

*'  I  only  wish  we  had  all  but  the  watch — I'd  have  a  try 
for  it  then,"  replied  I. 

"  No,  no,  Tom,  that  wouldn't  do ;  but  we  must  trust  to 
Providence  and  a  sharp  look  out.  See  where  you  can  put 
your  hand  upon  a  crowbar  or  handspike,  in  case  you  want 
it ;  but  don't  touch  it.  Come,  there's  nothing  to  be  done 
in  any  way  just  now,  so  let's  go  down  and  take  a  snooze 
for  an  hour  or  two  ;  and,  Tom,  if  they  ask  us  to  drink, 
drink  with  them,  and  pretend  to  be  half  fuddled." 

We  went  down  again,  and  found  the  privateer's-men 
getting  very  jolly ;  but  they  did  not  offer  us  anything  to 
drink,  so  we  laid  on  some  spare  sails  outside  the  cabin,  and 
tried  to  go  to  sleep,  but  I  could  not,  for  I  was  very 
unhappy.  I  could  see  no  chance  of  our  escape,  as  nothing 
but  a  man-of-war  would  be  likely  to  interfere,  and  re- 
capture us.  I  thought  of  Virginia  and  Lady  O'Connor, 
and  then  I  thought  of  poor  Bessy,  and  having  left  her  in 
such  an  unfriendly  way,  perhaps  to  remain  in  a  French 
prison  for  years.  Bramble  and  I  were  fully  aware  that  the 
promises  of  the  prize-master  were  only  to  cajole  us,  and 
that  once  in  a  French  port,  had  we  claimed  the  fulfilment 
of  them,  a  kick  would  have  been  all  which  we  should,  in 
all  probability,  receive  for  our  pains. 

About  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  rose  and  went  on 
deck.  The  watch  had  been  relieved ;  the  weather  also 
looked  brighter,  as  if  it  were  going  to  clear  up  ;  and  I 
became  still  more  depressed.     Bramble  soon  followed  me. 

•*  It's  clearing  up,"  said  I,  "  but  I  don't  think  it  will 
last." 

"Never  a  bit,"  replied  Bramble;  "in  half  an  hour  it 
will  be  thicker  than  ever,  so  now  I'll  go  and  call  the 


378  Poor  Jack 

officer,  and  tell  him  he  had  better  get  under  weigh — that 
will  make  him  have  less  suspicion  of  us." 

Bramble  did  so ;  the  officer  came  on  deck,  the  men 
were  turned  out,  and  the  windlass  was  manned,  for, 
although  so  large  a  vessel,  she  had  no  capstern.  The  men 
hove  in  the  cable  in  silence,  and  were  short  stay  apeak, 
when,  as  we  had  foreseen,  it  came  on  thicker  than  ever. 
Bramble  pointed  it  out  to  the  officer,  who  was  perfectly 
satisfied  that  nothing  could  be  done  :  the  cable  was  veered 
out  again,  and  the  men  sent  below. 

"  We  hope  you'll  think  of  your  promise  to  us,  sir,"  said 
Bramble  to  the  officer,  as  he  was  going  down. 

*'  Yes,  I  will,  I  swear,"  replied  he,  slapping  Bramble  on 
the  back. 

The  morning  broke,  and  the  weather  continued  the 
same  :  it  was  not  possible  to  see  ten  yards  clear  of  the 
ship,  and,  of  course,  in  such  weather  it  was  not  likely  that 
any  other  vessels  would  be  attempting  to  pass  through  the 
Channel.  At  noon  it  cleared  up  a  little,  and  the  windlass 
was  again  manned ;  but,  in  a  short  time,  the  fog  became 
thicker  than  ever.  The  Frenchmen  now  became  very  im- 
patient, but  there  was  no  help  for  it  j  they  walked  about 
the  deck  swearing  and  stamping,  and  throwing  out 
invectives  against  the  fog  and  rain  as  they  looked  up  at  it. 
The  night  closed  in ;  the  men  were  kept  on  deck  until 
1 1  o'clock,  when  the  flood-tide  made,  and  then  they  were 
sent  down  again,  as  nothing  could  be  done  until  the  ebb. 
At  12  o'clock  the  weather  became  worse,  the  wind 
freshened  considerably,  and  veered  more  to  the  southward, 
the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents,  and  the  men  of  the 
watch  sheltered  themselves  down  the  hatchway.  The 
officer  came  up  on  the  deck,  and  called  Bramble,  who  had 
been  down  below.  Bramble  told  him  what  was  very  true, 
that  the  wind  would  probably  shift,  and  the  weather  clear 
up  in  a  few  hours,  and  that  we  should  be  able  to  weigh  with 
the  coming  down  of  the  ebb.  He  asked  Bramble  whether 
he  thought  it  would  blow  hard.  Bramble  could  not  say, 
but  it  would  be  better  that  the  men  should  not  turn  in,  as 


Poor  Jack  379 

they  might  be  wanted,  and  that  if  the  fore-topmast  staysail 
was  hoisted,  she  would  lie  better  at  her  anchor ;  and  in 
case  of  parting,  he  would  be  able  to  manage  her  till  sail 
was  set.  This  advice  was  followed,  and  all  the  men  sat 
up  in  the  cabin  drinking — those  who  had  the  watch  occa- 
sionally coming  down  to  refresh  themselves. 

They  gave  us  a  glass  of  grog  each  that  night,  a  proof 
that  they  had  drank  until  they  were  good-natured. 
Bramble  said  to  me,  as  we  sat  down  outside,  '*  It  will  be 
clear  to-morrow  morning,  Tom,  that's  sartain — it  must  be 
to-night  or  never.  I've  been  thinking  of  lowering  the 
quarter  boat  down,  when  they  are  a  little  more  mizzled — 
they  are  getting  on  pretty  fast,  for  Frenchmen  haven't  the 
heads  for  drinking  that  Englishmen  have.  Now  it  pours 
down  beautifully,  and  here  they  come  down  again  for 
shelter." 

For  three  hours  we  watched ;  it  was  then  four  o'clock, 
and  the  men  were  most  of  them  asleep,  or  more  than  half 
drunk.  Those  of  the  middle  watch  came  down  dripping 
wet,  and  called  the  others  to  relieve  them,  but  only  two  of 
them  answered  to  the  call.  They  who  had  come  down 
began  to  drink  freely  to  warm  themselves,  after  their 
ducking,  and  by  half-past  four,  except  the  two  men  on 
deck,  every  Frenchman  was  either  fast  asleep  or  muddled. 

*'  Tom,"  said  Bramble,  "  now's  our  time — slip  up  on 
deck — go  forward  if  no  one  is  there,  and  saw  through  the 
cable  as  quickly  as  you  can — it  won't  take  long,  for  it's  a 
coir  rope.  As  soon  as  you  have  got  through  two  strands 
out  of  the  three,  come  aft." 

I  went  on  deck,  and  looked  round ;  I  could  not  see  the 
two  men,  it  was  so  dark.  I  then  walked  forward,  and 
looking  well  round  to  see  that  they  were  not  on  the  fore- 
castle, I  sat  down  before  the  windlass,  and  commenced 
operations.  In  a  couple  of  minutes  I  had  divided  the  two 
strands,  and  I  went  aft,  where  I  found  Bramble  at  the 
binnacle,  in  which  a  light  was  burning. 

**  I  have  done  it,"  said  I,  "and  if  the  wind  freshens  at 
all,  she  will  part." 


380  Poor  Jack 

"All's  right,"  said  Bramble,  "those  two  fellows  are 
fast  asleep  under  the  tafFrail,  covered  up  with  the  trysail, 
which  lies  there.  Now,  Tom,  for  a  bold  push  ;  go  down 
once  more,  and  see  how  they  are  getting  on  in  the  cabin." 

I  went  down :  every  man  was  asleep — some  on  the 
locker,  some  with  their  heads  on  the  table.  I  came 
on  deck :  it  rained  harder  than  ever. 

**  This  will  be  a  clearing  shower,  Tom,  depend  upon 
it ;  and  the  wind  is  freshening  up  again.  Now,  have  you 
looked  out  for  a  handspike  or  crowbar  ? " 

*'  Yes,  I  know  where  there  are  two." 

"  Then  come  with  me  :  we  must  unship  the  ladder,  and 
pull  it  up  on  deck,  and  then  put  on  the  grating ;  after 
that  we  must  take  our  chance — we  may  succeed,  and  we 
may  not — all  depends  upon  their  not  waking  too  soon." 

"We  went  to  the  hatchway,  cut  the  cleat-lashings, 
hauled  the  ladder  on  deck,  and  then  put  on  the  grating. 

"That  will  do,  Tom,  for  the  present.  Now  do  you 
take  the  helm  with  a  crow-bar  all  ready  by  your  side.  I 
will  go  forward  and  cut  the  cable  ;  if  those  fellows  rouse 
up  while  I  am  forward,  you  must  do  your  best.  I  leave 
you,  Tom,  because  you  are  more  powerful  than  I  am." 

"  I'll  manage  them  both,  never  fear,"  whispered  I. 

"  When  she  swings,  mind  you  put  the  helm  a-starboard, 
Tom,"  said  Bramble,  in  my  ear. 

This  was  the  most  nervous  part  of  the  whole  transaction  : 
the  men  abaft  might  wake,  and  I  should  have  to  master 
them  how  I  could — and  even  if  I  did,  the  scuiBe  might 
awake  those  below,  who  were  not  yet  secured ;  although, 
for  a  time,  it  would  be  difficult  for  them  to  get  on  deck. 
But  fortune  favoured  us  ;  the  cable  was  severed,  the  ship 
swung  round,  and  Bramble  returned  aft,  and  took  the 
helm. 

"Now  is  the  time  to  see  if  I'm  a  pilot  or  not,  Tom," 
said  he.  "I  think  I  can  steer  her  through  by  compass, 
now  that  it's  nearly  high  water — luck's  all."  It  was 
fortunate  that  we  got  the  staysail  hoisted  for  us,  or  we 
could  have  made  nothing  of  It. 


Poor  Jack  381 

"It's  clearing  up  fast,"  said  I,  as  I  kept  my  eyes  upon 
where  the  men  were  lying  abaft ;  **  and  there'll  be  plenty 
of  wind." 

**  Yes,  and  we'll  have  daylight  soon.  Tom,  I  don't 
want  you :  I  should  like  you  to  step  aft,  and  stand  over 
those  two  chaps ;  if  they  wake,  knock  them  senseless — 
don't  kill  them,  as  you  can  easily  bind  them  while  they  are 
stupefied.  And,  Tom,  look  about  you  for  some  seizings 
all  ready.  I  wish  they  would  wake,  for  we  are  not  safe 
while  they  are  not  secure.  Put  a  handspike  by  me,  and,  if 
necessary,  I  will  leave  the  helm  for  a  minute,  and  help 
you  :  it's  better  that  she  should  go  on  shore,,  than  they 
should  master  us.  We're  pretty  safe  now,  at  all  events — 
I  see  the  land — all's  right." 

It  was  now  daylight.  After  this  whispering  with 
Bramble,  I  went  aft  with  a  handspike  in  my  hand — and  I 
had  not  been  there  more  than  two  minutes  when  one  of  the 
privateer's-men  turned  the  canvas  on  one  side,  and  looked 
up.  The  handspike  came  down  upon  his  head,  and  he 
dropped  senseless  ;  but  the  noise  roused  up  the  other,  and 
I  dealt  him  a  blow  more  severe  than  the  first.  I  then 
threw  down  my  weapon,  and,  perceiving  the  deep-sea 
lead-line  coiled  up  on  the  reel,  I  cut  off  sufficient,  and  in  a 
short  time  had  bound  them  both  by  the  hands  and  feet. 
They  groaned  heavily,  and  I  was  afraid  that  I  had  killed 
them — but  there  was  no  help  for  it. 

"  They  are  safe,"  said  I,  returning  to  Bramble. 

**  I  thought  I  heard  you,  but  I  did  not  look  round  at  the 
time.  Half-an-hour  more,  Tom,  and,  even  with  this  wind, 
we  shall  be  safe — and,  Tom,  our  fortune's  made.  If  they 
wake  below,  we  must  fight  hard  for  it,  for  we've  a  right 
to  salvage,  my  boy — one-eighth  of  the  whole  cargo — that's 
worth  fighting  for.  Depend  upon  it  they'll  be  stirring 
soon — so,  Tom,  go  aft,  and  drag  the  trysail  here,  and  put 
it  on  the  hatchway  grating — it's  weight  will  prevent  their 
lifting  it  up  in  a  hurry.  If  we  can  only  hold  our  own  for 
twenty  minutes  longer,  she  is  ours,  and  all  right." 

As   soon  as   I  had   stowed  the  trysail   on  the  hatch- 


382  Poor  Jack 

way  grating,  I  looked  about  to  see  what  else  I  could  put 
on  the  skyhght,  which  they  might  also  attempt  to  force  up. 
I  could  find  nothing  but  the  coils  of  rope,  which  I  piled 
on ;  but,  while  I  was  so  doing,  a  pistol  was  fired  at  me 
from  below,  and  the  ball  passed  through  the  calf  of  my 
leg ;  it  was,  however,  not  a  wound  to  disable  me,  and  I 
bound  it  up  with  my  handkerchief. 

"  They're  all  alive  now,  Tom,  so  you  must  keep  your 
eyes  open.  However,  we're  pretty  safe — the  light  vessel 
is  not  a  mile  off.  Keep  away  from  the  skylight — you  had 
better  stand  upon  the  trysail,  Tom — you  will  help  to  keep 
the  hatchway  down,  for  they  are  working  at  it." 

Another  pistol  was  now  fired  at  Bramble,  which  missed 
him. 

"  Tom,  see  if  there's  no  bunting  aft,  and,  if  so,  just 
throw  some  over  this  part  of  the  skylight,  it  will  blind 
them  at  all  events  j  otherwise  I'm  just  a  capital  mark  for 
them." 

I  ran  aft,  and  gathered  some  flags,  which  I  brought  and 
laid  over  the  skylight,  so  as  to  intercept  their  view  of 
Bramble  j  but  whilst  I  was  so  doing  another  pistol-shot 
was  fired — it  passed  me,  but  hit  Bramble,  taking  off  one  of 
his  fingers. 

**  That's  no  miss,  but  we've  got  through  the  worst  of  it, 
Tom — I  don't  think  they  can  see  me  now — don't  put  that 
English  ensign  on — but  hoist  it  Union  downwards.  I  shall 
round  to  now  ;  there's  the  men-of-war  in  the  Medway. 
Why  don't  the  fools  look  out,  and  they  will  see  that  they 
can't  escape." 

*'  They've  only  the  stern  windows  to  look  out  of :  the 
quarter-galleries  are  boarded  up." 

"  Then,  Tom,  just  look  if  they  have  not  beat  them  out, 
for  you  know  they  may  climb  on  deck  by  them." 

It  was  fortunate  that  Bramble  mentioned  this  :  I  went 
aft  with  the  handspike  in  my  hand,  and  when  I  was  about 
to  look  over,  I  met  face  to  face  a  Frenchman,  who  had 
climbed  out  of  the  starboard  quarter-gallery,  and  was  just 
gaining  the  deck.     A  blow  with  the  handspike  sent  him 


Poor  Jack  383 

overboard,  and  he  went  astern  ;  but  another  was  following 
him,  and  I  stood  prepared  to  receive  him.  It  was  the 
officer  in  command,  who  spoke  English.  He  paused  at  the 
sight  of  the  other  man  falling  overboard  and  my  uplifted 
handspike  ;  and  I  said  to  him,  **  It's  of  no  use — look  at  the 
English  men-of-war  close  to  you ;  if  you  do  not  go  back 
to  the  cabin,  and  keep  your  men  quiet,  when  the  men-of- 
war's  men  come  on  board  we  will  show  you  no  quarter." 

We  were  now  entering  the  Medway  ;  and  the  French- 
man perceived  that  they  could  not  escape,  and  would  only 
bring  mischief  on  themselves  by  any  farther  assaults,  so  he 
got  into  the  quarter-gallery  again,  and  spoke  to  his  men. 
As  soon  as  I  perceived  that  he  was  entering,  I  ran  over 
to  the  other  side  to  the  larboard  quarter-gallery,  and  there 
again  I  found  a  Frenchman  had  nearly  gained  the  deck.  I 
levelled  the  handspike  at  his  head,  but  he  dodged,  and 
returned  to  the  cabin  by  the  way  he  came ;  and  after  that 
there  were  no  more  attempts  at  recovering  the  vessel.  In 
five  minutes  more  we  were  abreast  of  the  Euphrosyne,  Sir 
James  O'Connor's  frigate,  which  was  now  lying,  with  only 
her  lower  masts  in,  alongside  of  the  hulk.  I  hailed  for 
assistance,  and  let  fly  the  foretop-mast  staysail  sheet,  while 
Bramble  rounded  the  ship  to.  The  boats  were  sent  on 
board  immediately ;  and  as  we  had  not  a  cable  bent,  they 
made  the  ship  fast  to  the  hulk  astern  of  them.  We  stated 
our  case  in  few  words  to  the  officer ;  and  having  ascertained 
that  Sir  James  O'Connor  was  on  board,  requested  that  we 
might  be  sent  to  the  frigate. 

"  Is  it  you  ?  "  said  Sir  James,  as  I  came  on  the  gangway ; 
**  what  is  it  all  about — are  you  hurt  ?  Come  down  in  the 
cabin." 

Bramble  and  I  followed  him  down  into  the  cabin ;  and  I 
stated  the  whole  particulars  of  the  capture  and  re-capture. 

"  Excellent — most  excellent !  I  wish  you  both  joy  ; 
but  first  we  must  have  the  surgeon  here."  Sir  James  rang 
the  bell ;  and  when  the  surgeon  came  he  went  on  deck  to 
give  orders. 

The  ball  had  passed  through  my  leg,  so  that  the  surgeon 


384  Poor  Jack 

had  little  to  do  to  me.  Bramble's  finger  was  amputated, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  all  right,  and  Sir  James  came 
down  again. 

**  I  should  say,  stay  on  board  till  you  are  able  to  get 
about  again  ;  but  the  ship  will  be  paid  off  to-morrow,  so  I 
had  better  send  you  up  to  Chatham  directly.  You  are 
entitled  to  salvage,  if  ever  men  were,  for  you  have  earned 
it  gloriously ;  and  I  will  take  care  that  you  are  done 
justice  to.  I  must  go  now  and  report  the  vessel  and  par- 
ticulars to  the  admiral ;  and  the  first  lieutenant  will  send 
you  to  Chatham  in  one  of  the  cutters.  You'll  be  in  good 
hands,  Tom,  for  you  will  have  two  nurses." 

We  were  taken  up  to  Chatham  to  the  hotel,  where  we 
found  Lady  O'Connor  and  Virginia  very  much  surprised,  as 
may  be  imagined,  at  our  being  brought  there  wounded  ; 
however,  we  were  neither  of  us  ill  enough  to  go  to  bed, 
and  had  a  sitting-room  next  to  theirs. 

This  re-capture  made  a  great  deal  of  noise.  At  first  the 
agent  for  the  prize  wrote  down  a  handsome  letter  to  us, 
complimenting  us  upon  our  behaviour,  and  stating  that  he 
was  authorised  to  present  us  each  with  ^^500  for  our 
conduct ;  but  Sir  James  O'Connor  answered  the  letter,  in- 
forming him  that  we  claimed,  and  would  have,  our  one- 
eighth,  as  entitled  to  by  law,  and  that  he  would  see  us  righted. 
Mr  Wilson,  whom  we  employed  as  our  legal  adviser,  im- 
mediately gave  the  prize  agent  notice  of  an  action  in  the 
Court  of  Admiralty,  and  finding  we  were  so  powerfully 
backed,  and  that  he  could  not  help  himself,  he  offered 
^{^40,000,  which  was  one-eighth,  valuing  the  cargo  at 
^320,000.  The  cargo  proved  to  be  worth  more  than 
^400,000,  but  Mr  Wilson  advised  us  to  close  with  the 
offer,  as  it  was  better  than  litigating  the  question  j  so  we 
assented  to  it,  and  the  money  was  paid  over. 

In  a  fortnight  we  were  both  ready  to  travel  again.  Sir 
James  O'Connor  had  remained  a  week  longer  than  he  in- 
tended to  have  done  at  Chatham  on  our  account.  We  now 
took  leave  of  them,  and  having  presented  Virginia  with 
jT 5000,  which  I  had  directed  Mr  Wilson  to  settle  upon  her, 


Poor  Jack  385 

we  parted,  the  O'Connors  and  Virginia  for  Leamington,  and 
Bramble  and  I  for  Deal. 


Chapter    LI 

Being  the  last  chapter,  the  reader  may  pretty  well  guess  the  contents  of  it. 

"  Tom,  do  you  know  that  I  very  often  find  myself  looking 
about  me,  and  asking  myself  if  all  that  has  happened  is  true 
or  a  dream,"  said  Bramble  to  me,  as  we  sat  inside  of  the 
coach  to  Dover,  for  there  were  no  other  inside  passengers 
but  ourselves.  '*  I  can't  help  thinking  that  great  good 
fortune  is  as  astounding  as  great  calamity.  "Who  would  have 
thought,  when  I  would,  in  spite  of  all  Bessy's  remonstrances, 
go  round  in  that  ship  with  you,  that  in  the  first  place  we 
should  have  been  taken  possession  of  by  a  privateer  in  the 
very  narrows  (he  was  a  bold  cruiser  that  Frenchman)  ! 
After  we  were  captured  I  said  to  myself,  Bessy  must  have 
had  a  forewarning  of  what  was  to  happen,  or  she  never 
would  have  been,  as  I  thought,  so  perverse  :  and  since  it 
has  turned  out  so  fortunately,  I  can't  help  saying  how 
fortunate  it  was  that  we  did  not  allow  her  to  persuade  us  ; 
for  had  we  not  both  gone,  nothing  could  have  been  done. 
Well,  I  think  we  may  promise  Bessy  this  time,  when  we 
meet  her,  that  we  will  not  trust  ourselves  to  salt  water 
again  in  a  hurry.     What  do  you  think,  Tom  ?  " 

'*  No ;  I  think  the  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  marry,  and 
live  on  shore,"  replied  I. 

*'  Yes,  Tom — that's  it, — give  me  your  hand  ;  you  don't 
know  how  happy  you  make  me.  We'll  all  live  together  ; 
but  where  shall  we  live,  for  the  poor  little  cottage  that  I 
thought  quite  big  enough  for  us  a  month  ago  will  not  do 
now?" 

**  We  have  plenty  of  time  to  talk  that  over,  father.  I 
love  the  cottage  for  many  reasons  ;  although,  as  you  say, 
it  is  not  large  enough  now  for  our  means,  or  future  way 
of  living." 

P.J.  2  B 


^S6  Poor  Jack 

**  And  I  love  it  too,  boy,;  I  love  to  look  out  of  the  door 
and  see  the  spot  where  my  Bessy  rescued  me  from  death. 
God  bless  her  !  she  is  a  noble  girl,  Tom,  though  I  say  it 
who — but  I'm  not  her  father  after  all  j  and  if  I  were,  I 
would  still  say  it." 

"  It  is  evident,  by  her  letter  to  you,  that  she  has  been 
most  anxious  about  u.s.  What  will  she  say  when  she 
hears  we  have  both  been  wounded  ?  " 

'*  Ay  !  it  wouldn't  have  done  to  have  told  her  that,  or 
she  would  have  set  off  for  Chatham,  as  sure  as  we  are 
sitting  here." 

Here  a  pause  ensued  for  some  time,  and  we  were  busied 
with  our  own  thoughts ;  the  silence  was  at  last  broken  by  me. 

"Father,"  said  I,  "I  should  like  to  ask  my  father  and 
Peter  Anderson  to  come  doM'-n  to  us ;  they  can  easily  get 
leave." 

**  Is  it  to  be  present  at  your  wedding,  Tom  ? " 

**  Exactly — if  Bessy  will  consent." 

**  Well,  I  have  no  doubt  of  that,  Tom  ;  but  she  will 
now  require  a  little  courting — you  know  ■w^hy." 

**  Why — because  all  women  like  it,  I  suppose." 

*^  No,  Tom  ;  it  is  because  she  was  in  love  before  you 
were,  d'ye  understand ; — and  now  that  things  are  all 
smooth,  and  you  follow  her,  why,  it's  natural,  I  suppose, 
that  she  should  shy  off  a  little  in  her  turn.  You  must 
mind  that,  Tom  ;  it's  a  sort  of  soothing  to  the  mortifica- 
tion of  having  at  one  time  found  herself,  as  it  were, 
-rejected." 

"  Well,  I  sha'n't  mind  that ;  it  will  only  serve  me  right 
for  being  such  a  fool  as  not  to  have  perceived  her  value 
before.  But  how  do  you  understand  women  so  well, 
father?" 

"  Because,  Tom,  I've  been  looking  on,  and  not  perform- 
ing, all  my  life  :  except  in  one  instance  in  a  long  life,  I've 
only  been  a  bystander  in  the  way  of  courtship  and  matri- 
mony. Here  v/e  are  at  last,  and  now  for  a  chaise  to  Deal. 
Thank  God,  we  can  afford  to  shorten  the  time,  for  Bessy's 
sake,  poor  thing  !  " 


Poor  Jack  387 

We  arrived  at  the  cottage ;  the  sound  of  the  wheels 
had  called  out  not  only  Bessy  and  Mrs  Maddox,  but  all 
the  neighbours ;  for  they  had  heard  of  our  good  fortune. 
Bessy,  as  soon  as  she  had  satisfied  herself  that  it  was 
Bramble  and  me,  went  into  the  cottage  again.  Once 
more  we  entered  the  humble  roof.  Bessy  flew  into  her 
father's  arms,  and  hung  weeping  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Hav'n't  you  a  kind  word  to  say  for  Tom?"  said 
Bramble,  kissing  her  as  he  released  himself. 

**  Does  he  deserve  it,  to  leave  me  as  he  did,  laughing 
at  my  distress  ?     He  had  no  right  to  treat  me  so." 

**  Indeed,  Bessy,  you  do  me  injustice.  I  said  at  the 
time,  that  I  thought  there  was  no  risk ;  and  I  certainly 
did  think  there  was  none.  Who  would  have  expected 
a  privateer  half-way  up  the  Thames,  any  more  than  a 
vessel  with  twenty  men  on  board  could  be  re-captured 
by  two  men  ? " 

"  Well,  Bessy,  you  ought  to  make  friends  with  him ; 
for  without  his  arm,  your  father  would  not  have  been 
"back  here  quite  so  soon.  He  beat  down  the  Frenchmen, 
one  after  another,  in  good  style,  when  they  attempted  to 
recover  the  vessel — that  he  did,  I  can  tell  you,  wounded 
as  he  was." 

"  Wounded  ? "  cried  Bessy,  starting,  her  eyes  runniiig 
over  me  to  find  out  where. 

**  Yes,  with  a  bullet  in  his  leg ;  I  didn't  like  to  say  a 
word  about  it  in  the  letter.  But  T  suppose  if  he  had  been 
killed  you  would  not  have  cared  ?  " 

**  Oh,  father  !  "  cried  Bessy,  as  she  turned  towards  me, 
and  I  received  her  in  my  arms. 

Bessy  soon  recovered  her  smiles,  and  thankful  for  our 
preservation  and  good  fortune,  and  satisfied  with  our 
mutual  affection,  we  passed  a  most  happy  evening.  Some- 
how or  another.  Bramble  having  sent  Mrs  Maddox  on 
a  message,  found  out  that  it  was  very  sultry  in-doors, 
and  that  he  would  take  his  pipe  on  the  beach.  He  left 
me  alone  with  Bessy ;  and  now,  for  the  first  time,  I 
plainly  told  her  the  state  of  my  affections,  and  asked  her 


388  Poor  Jack 

to  consent  to  be  my  wife.  I  did  not  plead  in  vain,  as 
the  reader  may  suppose  from  what  he  has  already  been 
made  acquainted  with. 

After  Bessy  had  retired,  and  I  was  sitting  with  Bramble, 
who  had  his  glass  of  grog  and  pipe  as  usual,  I  made  him 
acquainted  with  my  success. 

**A11  right,  Tom,"  said  he,  "I'm  thankful— and  God 
bless  you  both." 

And  had  I  not  reason  also  to  be  thankful  ?  "When  I 
had  retired  to  my  room  that  night,  I  thought  over  the 
various  passages  in  my  life.  What  might  I  have  been 
if  Providence  had  not  watched  over  me  ?  When  neglected 
in  my  youth,  in  a  situation  which  exposed  me  to  every 
temptation,  had  not  old  Anderson  been  sent  as  a  guardian 
to  keep  me  in  the  right  path,  to  instruct  me,  and  to  give 
me  that  education,  without  which  my  future  success  might 
have  turned  out  a  disadvantage  instead  of  a  source  of 
gratitude.  In  Bramble,  again,  I  had  met  with  a  father, 
to  supply  the  place  of  one  who  was  not  in  a  situation  to 
do  his  duty  to  me,  or  forward  me  in  life.  In  old  Nanny 
I  had  met  with  a  kind  friend,  one  who,  at  the  same  time 
that  she  would  lead  me  right,  was  a  warning  to  me  from 
her  sufferings.  To  Mrs  St  Felix  I  was  equally  indebted 
— and  had  I  not  been  permitted  to  pay  the  debt  of  grati- 
tude to  both  of  them  ?  Even  my  mother's  harshness, 
which  appeared  at  first  to  my  shortsightedness  to  have 
been  so  indefensible,  was  of  great  advantage  to  me,  as  it 
had  stimulated  me  to  exertion  and  industry,  and  pointed 
out  to  me  the  value  of  independence.  Was  I  not  also 
most  fortunate  in  having  escaped  from  the  entanglement 
with  Janet,  who,  had  I  married  her,  would,  in  all  pro- 
bability, have  proved  a  useless,  if  not  a  faithless  helpmate 
and,  still  more  so,  in  finding  that  there  was,  as  it  were, 
especially  reserved  for  me  the  affection  of  such  a  noble, 
right-minded  creature  as  Bessy  ?  My  life,  commenced 
in  rags  and  poverty,  had,  by  industry  and  exertion,  and  the 
kindness  of  others,  step  by  step  progressed  to  competence, 
and  every  prospect  of  mundane  happiness.      Kad  I  not. 


Poor  Jack  389 

therefore,  reason  to  be  grateful,  and  to  fcei  that  there  had 
been  a  little  cherub  who  had  watched  over  the  life  of  Poor 
Jack  ?  On  my  bended  knees  I  acknowledged  it  fervently 
and  gratefully,  and  prayed  that,  should  it  please  Heaven 
that  I  should  in  after  life  meet  any  reverse,  I  might  bear 
it  without  repining,  and  say,  with  all  humility,  *'  Thy  will 
and  not  mine,  O  Lord,  be  done  !  " 

How  bright  was  the  next  morning,  and  how  cheerful 
did  the  dancing  waves  appear  to  me ! — and  Bessy's  eyes 
were  radiant  as  the  day,  and  her  smiles  followed  in  rapid 
succession  j  and  Bramble  looked  so  many  years  younger — 
he  was  almost  too  happy  to  smoke — it  was  really  the 
sunshine  of  the  heart  which  illumined  our  cottage.  And 
thus  did  the  few  days  pass,  until  Anderson  and  my  father 
made  their  appearance.  They  were  both  surprised  at 
Bessy's  beauty,  and  told  me  so :  they  had  heard  that  she 
was  handsome,  but  they  were  not  prepared  for  her 
uncommon  style ;  for  now  that  her  countenance  was 
lighted  up  with  joy,  she  was  indeed  lovely. 

"  Well,  Tom,"  observed  my  father,  **  there's  only  one 
thing  which  surprises  me." 

"  What  is  that  ? " 

*'  Why,  how,  with  such  a  fine  craft  in  view,  you  could 
ever  have  sailed  in  the  wake  of  such  a  little  privateer  as — 
but  I  must  not  mention  her — never  mind,  don't  answer 
me  that ; — but  another  question — when  are  you  going 
to  be  spliced  ? " 

*'  Very  soon,  I  hope ;  but  I  really  don't  exactly  know : 
all  I  can  say  is,  the  sooner  the  better." 

"  And  so  say  I.  Shall  I  bring  up  the  subject  on  the 
plea  of  my  leave  being  only  for  ten  days  ? " 

**  Yes,  father,  I  wish  you  would,  as  it  is  really  a  good 
reason  to  allege  for  its  taking  place  immediately." 

"  Tom,  my  dear  boy,"  said  old  Anderson,  "  from  what 
I  can  perceive,  you  have  great  reason  to  be  thankful  in 
having  obtained  this  young  woman  for  your  future  partner 
in  life.  I  admire  her  exceedingly,  and  I  trust  in  Heaven 
that  you  will  be  happy." 


390  Poor  Jack 

'*  I  onght  to  be,"  replied  I,  '*  and  grateful  also,  par- 
ticularly to  you,  to  whom,  under  Providence,  I  am  so 
much  indebted." 

"  If  the  seed  is  sown  upon  good  ground,  it  will  always 
yield  a  good  harvest,  Tom.  You  are  a  proof  of  it,  so 
thank  Heaven,  and  not  me.  I  wish  to  tell  you  what  your 
father  has  mentioned  to  me.  The  fact  is,  Tom,  he  is  in 
what  may  be  called  a  false  position  at  Greenwich,  He 
is  a  pensioner,  and  has  now  sufHcient  not  to  require  the 
charity,,  and  he  thinks  that  he  ought  not  to  avail  himself 
of  it,  now  that  you  have  made  him  independent ;  but  if 
he  leaves  the  Hospital  and  remains  at  Greenwich,  he  and 
your  mother  would  not  agree  well  together ;  they  are 
very  good  friends  at  a  certain  distance,  but  I  do  not  think, 
with  her  high  notions,  that  they  could  ever  live  together 
in  the  same  house.  He  says  that  he  should  like  to  live 
either  with  you  or  near  you ;  and  I  think  myself,  now 
that  he  is  become  so  very  steady  a  character,  it  does 
require  your  consideration  whether  you  ought  not  to 
permit  him.  He  will  be  a  very  good  companion  for 
Bramble,  and  they  will  get  on  well  together.  I  do  not 
mean  to  say  that  it  might  not  be  more  agreeable  if  he 
were  to  remain  at  Greenwich,  but  he  is  your  father, 
Tom,  and  you  should  make  some  sacrifice  for  a 
parent." 

*'  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  Anderson,  I  most  gladly 
consent.  Bramble  is  to  live  with  us — that  is  arranged, 
and  if  no  objections  are  raised  by  others,  you  may  be  sure 
of  my  acceding,  and  indeed^  if  objections  should  be  raised, 
of  persuading  all  I  can." 

"  You  can  do  no  more,  Tom,"  replied  Anderson  j  *'  nor 
can  more  be  expected." 

This  point  was  very  satisfactorily  arranged.  Bramble 
and  Bessy  both  gave  their  cheerful  consent,  and  it  was 
settled  that  as  soon  as  we  had  a  house  to  receive  him,  my 
father  should  quit  Greenwich,  and  live  with  us.  The 
arguments  of  my  father,  added  to  the  persuasions  of 
Bramble  and  me,  had  their  due  weight,  and  on  the  13th  of 


Poor  Jack  591 

September,  1 807,  Bessy  and  I  exchanged  our  vows,  and  I 
embraced  her  as  my  own. 


Fmale 

If  the  reader  will  refer  back  to  the  first  part  of  this 
narrative,  he  will  find  that  I  was  born  in  the  year  1786  ; 
and  as  I  am  writing  this  in  the  year  1840,  I  am  now  54 
years  old.  I  was  but  little  more  than  21  when  I  married  : 
I  have,  therefore,  the  experience  of  32  years  of  a  married 
life ;  but  I  will  not  anticipate.  I  ended  the  last  chapter 
with  my  own  happy  union  ;  I  must  now  refer  to  those 
events  which  followed  close  upon  that  period. 

Sir  James  and  Lady  O'Connor  had  taken  up  their  resi- 
dence at  Leamington,  then  a  small  village,  and  not  the 
populous  place  which  it  has  since  become.  After  a  few 
months'  residence,  during  which  I  had  repeated  letters 
from  Lady  O'Connor  and  Virginia,  they  were  so  pleased 
with  the  locality  and  neighbourhood,  that  Sir  James  pur- 
chased a  property  of  some  hundred  acres,  and  added  to  a 
house  which  was  upon  it,  so  as  to  make  it  a  comfortable 
and  elegant  residence.  Lady  O'Connor,  after  the  first 
year,  presented  her  husband  with  a  son,  and  has  since  that 
been  very  assiduous  in  increasing  his  family— more  so, 
perhaps,  than  would  have  been  convenient  to  Sir  James 
O'Connor's  income  at  the  time  that  he  purchased  the 
property,  had  it  not  been  that  the  increase  of  its  value,  in 
consequence  of  a  large  portion  of  it  having  been  takert 
as  building  land,  has  been  so  great  as  to  place  them  in; 
most  affluent  circumstances.  About  a  year  after  my  mar- 
riage, I  had  notice  from  Lady  O'Connor  that  a  certain 
gentleman  had  arrived  there  who  had  shown  great  attention- 
to  Virginia ;  and  she  added,  that  he  had  been  very  well 
received  by  my  sister,  being  an  old  acquaintance  of  the 
name  of  Sommerville,  a  clergyman,  with  a  good  living,  and 
a  very  superior  young  man.    I  immediately  recollected  him 


392  Poor  Jack 

as  the  preceptor,  who  had  behaved  with  such  propriety 
when  my  sister  was  persecuted  by  the  addresses  of  the 
young  nobleman ;  and  I,  therefore,  felt  very  easy  upon  the 
subject.  A  few  months  afterwards  I  had  a  letter  from 
Virginia,  stating  that  he  had  proposed,  and  that  she  had 
conditionally  accepted  him.  I  wrote  to  her,  congratulating 
her  upon  the  choice  she  had  made,  giving  her  father's 
consent  and  blessing  (of  my  mother  hereafter)  ;  and  shortly 
after  they  were  married  ;  and  I  am  happy  to  say,  that  her 
marriage  has  turned  out  as  fortunate  as  my  own. 

"We  had  remained  in  the  cottage  for  some  months  after 
my  own  marriage,  very  undecided  what  we  should  do. 
Bramble  did  not  like  to  quit  the  seaside,  nor  I  believe, 
his  old  habits  and  localities.  Money  was  of  little  value  to 
him ;  indeed,  on  my  marriage,  he  had  insisted  upon  settling 
upon  Bessy  and  her  children  the  whole  sum  he  had  received 
for  the  salvage  of  the  Dutch  Indiaman,  reserving  for  him- 
self his  farm  near  Deal.  It  did  so  happen,  however,  that 
about  that  period,  while  we  were  still  in  perplexity,  I 
received  a  letter  from  Mr  Wilson's  son,  at  Dover,  telling 
me  that  the  manor-house  and  300  acres  of  land,  adjoining 
to  Bramble's  farm,  were  to  be  disposed  of.  This  exactly 
suited,  so  I  made  the  purchase,  and  took  possession,  and 
then  sent  for  my  father  to  join  us,  which  he  hastened  to 
do.  Bramble  did  not,  however,  give  up  his  cottage  on  the 
beach.  He  left  Mrs  Maddox  in  it,  and  it  was  a  favouribe 
retirement  for  my  father  and  him,  who  would  remain  there 
for  several  days  together,  amusing  themselves  with  watch- 
ing the  shipping,  and  gaining  intelligence  from  the  various 
pilots  as  they  landed,  as  they  smoked  their  pipes  on  the 
shingle  beach.  It  was  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the 
great  house,  so  that  it  was  very  convenient ;  and  Bessy  and 
I  would  often  go  with  the  children  and  indulge  in  reminis- 
cences of  the  former  scenes  which  had  there  occurred. 

My  father  and  mother  parted  very  good  friends  :  the  fact 
was,  that  she  was  pleased  with  the  arrangement,  as  she  did 
not  like  my  father  wearing  a  pensioner's  coat,  and  did  not 
want  his  company  at  her  own  house.     When  he  left  the 


Poor  Jack  393 

Hospital,  she  insisted  upon  paying  him  his  rent ;  and  she 
did  so  very  punctually  until  she  gave  up  business.  On 
her  marriage,  my  sister  requested  that  we  would  come  to 
Leamington  and  be  present ;  to  which  we  all  consented, 
particularly  as  it  was  a  good  opportunity  of  introducing 
Bessy  to  her  and  Lady  O'Connor.  My  mother  was  also  to 
join  the  party  on  the  occasion.  The  only  circumstance 
worth  mentioning  was  the  surprise  of  my  mother  on  being 
introduced  to  Lady  O'Connor,  and  finding  that  in  this  great 
lady  she  met  with  her  old  acquaintance,  Mrs  St  Felix. 
Whatever  she  may  have  felt,  she  certainly  had  tact  enough 
to  conceal  it ;  and  was  as  warm  in  her  congratulations  as 
the  best  well-wisher.  I  must  say,  that  I  never  knew  my 
mother  appear  to  such  advantage  as  she  did  during  this 
visit  to  Leamington ;  she  dressed  remarkably  well,  and 
would  have  persuaded  those  who  did  not  know  her  history, 
that  she  had  always  been  in  good  society  :  but  she  had  been 
a  lady's  maid,  and  had  learnt  her  mistress's  airs  ;  and  as  she 
could  dress  others  so  well,  it  would  have  been  odd  if  she 
did  not  know  how  to  dress  herself.  A  good  copy  will 
often  pass  for  an  original.  It  was  not  till  about  six  years 
after  our  marriage  that  my  mother  decided  upon  retiring 
from  business.  She  had  made  a  very  comfortable  provision 
for  herself,  as  Mr  Wilson  informed  me,  and  took  up  her 
abode  at  Cheltenham,  where  she  lived  in  a  very  genteel 
way,  was  considered  quite  a  catch  at  card-parties,  and 
when  she  did  ask  people  to  tea,  she  always  did  the  thing  in 
better  style  than  anybody  else ;  the  consequence  was  that 
she  was  not  visited  by  most  people,  but  in  time  became 
rather  a  person  of  consideration.  As  she  never  mentioned 
her  husband,  it  was  supposed  that  she  was  a  widow,  and, 
in  consequence  of  her  well-regulated  establishment,  she 
received  much  attention  from  several  Irish  and  foreign 
bachelors.  In  short,  my  mother  obtained  almost  the  pin- 
nacle of  her  ambition,  when  she  was  once  fairly  settled  at 
Cheltenham.  I  ought  to  observe  that  when  she  arrived 
there,  she  had  taken  the  precaution  of  prefixing  a  name 
to  her  own,  to  which   by  baptismal  rite   she   certainly 


394  Poor  Jack 

was  not  entitled,  and  called  herself  Mrs  Montagu 
Saunders-. 

Shortly  after  Mrs  St  Felix  had  given  notice  to  the  doctor 
that  she  should  not  return,  and  that  her  shop,  and  the 
goodwill  thereof,  were  for  sale,  I  received  a  letter  from 
my  friend,  Tom  Cobb,  the  doctor's  assistant,  telling  me 
that  as  he  perceived  he  had  now  no  chance  of  Mrs  St 
Felix,:  he  had  some  idea  of  taking  her  shop,  and  setting  up 
as  a  tobacconist  j  his  reasons  were,  that  physic  was  a  bore, 
and  going  out  of  nights  when  called  up,  a  still  greater.  I 
wrote  to  Lady  O'Connor  enclosing  Mr  Tom's  letter,  and 
pointed  out  to  her  that  I  thought  it  would  be  a  public 
benefit  to  prevent  Tom  from  killing,  so  many  people,  as  he 
certainly  would  do,  if  he  continued  in  his  present  profes- 
sion, and  eventually  set  up  for  himself.  She  replied  that 
she  agreed  with  me,  but  at  the  same  time  that  she  was 
anxious  to  benefit  fat  Jane,  who  really  was  a  very  good 
girl ;  and  that  therefore  she  empowered  me  to  enter  into 
a  treaty  with  Mr  Thomas,  by  which,  provided  he  could 
obtain  the  lady's  consent,  he  was  to  wed  her,  and  receive 
the  stock  in  trade,  its  contents  and  fixtures,  and  goodwill, 
&c.,  as  her  portion. 

As  this  was  an  offer  which  required  some  consideration 
before  it  was  refused,  I  wrote  to  Tom,,  pointing  out  to  him 
the  advantages  of  Settling  down  with  a  good  business,  with 
a  wife  to  assist  him,  and  a  cat  and  dog  all  ready  installed, 
upon  such  advantageous  conditions.  Tom  agreed  with  me, 
won  the  love  of  fat  Jane,  which  was  easily  done,  as  he  had 
no  rival,  and  in  a  short  time  was  fairly  set  down  as  the 
successor  of  Mrs  St  Felix.  As  for  the  doctor,  he  appeared 
to  envy  Tom  his  having  possession  of  the  shop  which  his 
fair  friend  once  occupied  j  he  was  inconsolable,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  but  that  he,  from  the  period  of  her  quitting 
Greenwich,  wasted  away,  until  he  eventually  was  buried  in 
the  churchyard.  A  most  excellent  man  was  Doctor  Tad- 
pole, and  his  death  was  lamented  by  hundreds  who  esteemed 
his  character,  and  many  hundreds  more  who  had  benefited 
not  only  by  his  advice  but  by  his  charitable  disposition. 


Poor  Jack  395 

About  ten  years  after  my  marriage  Ben  the  Whaler  was 
summoned  away.  Flis  complaint  was  in  the  liver,  which  is 
not  to  .be  surprised  at,  considering  how  many  gallons  of 
liquor  he  had  drank  during  his  life. 

Peter  Anderson — my  father,  my  friend,  my  preceptor-— 
was  for  many  years  inspecting  boatswain  of  the  Hospital. 
At  last  he  became  to  a  certain  degree  vacant  in  mind,  and 
his  situation  was  filled  up  by  another.  He  was  removed 
to  what  they  call  the  helpless  ward,  where  he  was  well 
nursed  and  attended.  It  is  no  uncommon,  indeed  I  may  say 
ft  is  a  very  common  thing,  for  the  old  pensioners,  as  they 
gradually  decay,  to  have  their  health  quite  perfect  when 
the  faculties  are  partly  gone  ;  and  there  is  a  helpless  ward 
established  for  that  very  reason,  where  those  who  are 
infirm  and  feeble,  without  disease,  or  have  lost  their 
faculties,  while  their  bodily  energies  remain,  are  sent  to ; 
and  there  they  pass  a  quiet  easy  life,  well  attended,  until 
they  sink  into  the  grave.  Such  was  the  case  with  Peter 
Anderson  :  he  was  ninety-seven  when  he  died,  but  long 
before  that  time  his  mind  was  quite  gone.  Still  he  was 
treated  with  respect,  and  many  were  there  who  attended 
his  funeral.  I  erected  a  handsome  tombstone  to  his 
memory,  the  last  tribute  I  could  pay  to  a  wortky,  honest, 
sensible,  and  highly  religious  good  man. 

Mr  Wilson  has  been  dead  some  time :  he  left  me  a 
legacy  of  ;^5oo.  I  believe  I  have  mentioned  all  my  old 
acquaintances  now,  except  Bill  Harness  and  Opposition 
Bill.  In  living  long,  certainly  Opposition  Bill  has  beat 
his  opponent,  for  Harness  is  in  the  churchyard,  while 
Opposition  Bill  still  struts  about  with  his  hair  as  white  as 
snow,  and  his  face  shrivelled  up  like  an  old  monkey's. 
The  last  time  I  was  at  Greenwich,  I  heard  the  pensioners 
say  to  one  another,  "  Why  you  go  ahead  about  as  fast  as 
Opposition  Bill."  I  requested  this  enigma  to  me  to  be 
solved,  and  it  appeared  that  one  Greenwich  fair. 
Opposition  Bill  had  set  off  home  rather  the  worse  for 
what  he  had  drank,  and  it  so  happened  that,  crossing  the 
road  next  to  the  Hospital,  his  wooden  leg  had  stuck  in 


396  Poor  Jack 

one  of  the  iron  plug-holes  of  the  water  conduit.  Bill  did 
not,  in  his  situation,  perceive  that  anything  particular  had 
occurred,  and  continued  playing  his  fiddle  and  singing, 
and,  as  he  supposed,  walking  on  the  whole  time,  instead 
of  which  he  was  continually  walking  round  and  round  the 
one  leg  in  the  plug-hole  with  the  other  that  was  free. 
After  about  half  an  hour's  trotting  round  and  round  this 
way,  he  began  to  think  that  he  did  not  get  home  quite  so 
fast  as  he  ought,  but  the  continual  circular  motion  had 
made  him  more  confused  than  before. 

"  By  Gum  !  "  said  Bill,  "  this  Hospital  is  a  confounded 
long  way  off.  I'm  sure  I  walk  a  mile,  and  I  get  no  nearer 
— howsoebber,  nebber  mind — here  goes." 

Here  Billy  struck  up  a  tune,  and  commenced  a  song 
along  with  it,  still  walking  round  and  round  his  wooden 
leg  which  was  firmly  fixed  in  the  plug-hole,  and  so  he 
continued  till  he  fell  down  from  giddiness,  and  was 
picked  up  by  some  of  the  people,  who  carried  him 
home  to  the  Hospital. 

I  have  but  one  more  circumstance  to  relate.  I  was  one 
day  sitting  with  Bessy  and  my  children,  at  the  old  cottage 
on  the  beach,  Bramble  and  my  father  were  smoking  their 
pipes  on  a  bench  which  they  had  set  up  outside,  when 
one  of  the  Deal  boats  landed  with  passengers.  As  they 
passed  by  us,  one  old  gentleman  started,  and  then  stopped 
short,  as  he  beheld  Bessy.  "Mine  frau!"  he  cried,  "mine 
frau  dat  was  in  Heaven  !  " 

We  stared  very  much,  as  we  did  not  comprehend  him  ; 
but  he  then  came  up  to  me  and  said — 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  mynheer,  but  what  is  dat  young 
woman  ? " 

*'  She  is  my  wife,"  replied  I. 

"  I  was  going  to  say  dat  she  was  my  wife,  but  dat  is 
impossible.     Look  you  here,  sar." 

The  old  man  pulled  a  miniature  out  of  his  breast,  and 
certainly  the  resemblance  to  Bessy  was  most  remarkable. 

"  Now,  sar,  dat  was  my  wife.  Where  did  you  get 
dis  young  woman  ? " 


Poor  Jack  397 

I  requested  him  to  walk  into  the  cottage,  and  then  told 
him  the  history  of  Bessy. 

**  Sar,  my  wife  was  coming  home  with  her  child  in  a 
brig,  and  the  brig  was  never  heard  of.  It  was  supposed 
that  she  did  perish,  and  everyone  else  too.  Sar,  this 
lady  must  be  my  daughter." 

"  I'm  sorry  that  we  have  no  proofs  to  offer  you,"  replied 
I ;  *'  she  had  only  bed-clothes  on  when  she  was  taken 
into  the  boat,  and  there  is  nothing  to  establish  her 
identity." 

"  I  am  content,  sar ;  she  must  be  my  daughter.  She 
was  in  a  brig  with  her  mother,  and  she  was  saved  the 
very  same  year  that  her  mother  come  home.  There,  sar, 
look  at  this  picture ;  it  is  the  same  person.  I  want  no 
more  proof — she  is  my  daughter." 

Although  this  was  what  might  be  called  only  collateral 
proof,  I  did  agree  with  the  old  gentleman,  that  it  was  very 
strong ;  at  all  events  it  was  sufficient  for  him,  and  he 
claimed  Bessy  as  his  child.  Had  he  claimed  her  to  take 
her  away,  I  might  have  disputed  it ;  but  as  he  loaded  her 
with  presents,  and  when  he  died,  which  he  did  three 
years  afterwards,  and  left  20,000  rix  dollars,  of  course 
I  was  perfectly  satisfied  with  his  relationship. 

So  much  for  what  has  occurred  since  the  time  I  married  ; 
and  now,  as  the  reader  may,  perhaps,  wish  to  know  some- 
thing about  the  present  condition  of  myself  and  family, 
I  must  inform  him  that  my  father  and  Bramble  are  still 
alive,  and  flourishing  under  their  grey  hairs.  My  sister 
has  four  children,  and  her  husband  is  now  a  dean ;  they 
do  say,  that,  from  the  interest  of  his  patron,  he  will  in 
ail  probability  be  a  bishop,  a  distinction  not  to  be  envied 
in  these  days,  and  therefore  I  do  not  wish  him  success. 
My  mother  is,  however,  of  the  contrary  opinion ;  having 
been  told  that  her  daughter  as  a  bishop's  lady  will  take 
precedence,  and  be  led  out  before  Lady  Hercules.  Sir 
James  and  Lady  O'Connor  are  still  well,  and  as  happy  as 
they  well  can  be.  "^ Bessy  has  blessed  me  with  three  boys 
and  three  girls,  now  all  grown  up;    but  the  boys  came 


39'8  Poor  Jack 

first.  The  eldest  is  a  lieutenant  in  His  Majesty's  service, 
the  second  is  a  captain  of  an  Indiaman,  and  the  third 
-commands  a  free  trader.  They  are  all  well  to  do,  and 
independent  of  their  father.  My  girls,  who  are  much 
younger,  have  been  well  educated,  and  people  say  that 
they  are  very  handsome  j  at  all  events,  they  are  modest 
and  good-tempered.  I  have  not  attempted  to  conceal 
what  I  once  was,  yet  Time  has  called  away  most  of  those 
who  knew  me  in  my  profession.  I  am  still  considered 
as  having  been  a  seafaring  man,  but  nevertheless,  in  con- 
sequence of  my  property,  I  am  generally  addressed  by 
the  title  of  'Squire  Saunders.  By  not  assuming  a  station 
which  does  not  become  me,  I  find  myself  treated  not 
only  with  respect,  but  with  friendship,  by  those  who 
are  in  birth,  as  well  as  other  quahfications,  my  superiors. 
My  daughters  are  invited  out  to  all  the  balls  and  fetes 
in  the  neighbourhood,  and  are  great  favourites  wherever 
they  go :  they  all  of  them  are  like  their  mother,  not  only 
in  appearance  but  in  temper  and  disposition.  We  have 
plenty  of  young  men  who  visit  the  house,  and  I  am  afraid 
that  we  shall  soon  have  to  part  with  two  of  them,  my 
eldest,  Virginia,  being  engaged  to  a  ship-builder  at 
Limehouse,  and  Elizabeth  to  a  young  clergyman  in  the 
Oieighbourhood.  Jane  thinks  sbe  never  will  marry,  and, 
as  I  tell  her,  I  suppose  she  aever  will  till  she  is  asked. 
To  wind  up,  I  may  say,  that  Bessy  and  I  have  been  very 
happy,  and  promise  still  to  be  as  happy  as  most  people 
are  who  pass  through  this  pilgrimage.  We  have  com- 
petence— the  good  opinion  of  the  world — a  family  who 
have  never  caused  us  one  hour's  uneasiness  (how  few  can 
say  that  ?),  and  we  have,  I  trust,  a  due  sense  of  God's 
mercy  and  kindness  towards  us,  and  never  lie  down  in 
our  beds  without  thanking  Him  for  the  many  mercies 
we  have  received,  and  acknowledging  how  unworthy  we 
are  to  have  been  so  signally  blessed. 

THE  END. 


c/ 


